Gender Diversity Research in the Slovak Republic and the Participation of Women in Top Management Positions in Science and Research

Abstract

The issue of female participation in the field of science and research has been researched and discussed in several studies, most noticeably in ´She figures 2009´. The latest research in Slovakia was conducted by Tatiana Sedová in 2009 and focused upon female students at two faculties within two different universities (Comenius Universtity - The Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics and the Slovak University of Technology – The Faculty of Electrotechnics and Informatics). The study´s results highlighted the presence of gender role stereotypes, but also a high and long established interest of female students in natural science subjects. Therefore, not only the topic of participation of women in science and research, but also the issue of women in managerial positions is worthy of investigation over an extended period of time. However, the statistics show a relatively low proportion of women in professor position at universities and a low number of women in top positions. The authors of this article will argue that the reasons for this long-time trend are not only based on stereotypes in thinking about gender equality. To be able to identify the next set of factors, it is necessary to carry out research over a long time period that also includes the women’s domestic and working environment. Until now, in Slovakia such a complex study has not been carried out. The article however, contains the starting point facts from the areas of participating women in science and research and in top management positions from the available statistics, relating to researches and area specifications for the future research. Finally, the authors would like to share their experience in this area obtained from UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and from the active involvement in the Seventh Framework Programme: ”Improving gender diversity management in materials research institutions” with the acronym Diversity, supported by the European Union.