Challenge
As a result of the meeting between the Mayoress and a group of women researchers in the fields of technology, science and innovation, the need was identified to carry out a study on the situation of women researchers in Barcelona and the metropolitan region. This study should serve to identify the obstacles or difficulties that stand in the way of the careers of women researchers and to guide public policies aimed at reversing the gender inequalities present in the field of research.
Response
It is proposed to carry out a qualitative research with 8 focus groups with female researchers of different ages, backgrounds and fields of knowledge to obtain their experiences. In addition, 2 focus groups are conducted with male researchers to identify the contrast and the degree of proximity/distance in relation to the perceptions of the same phenomenon.
The results allow us to detect a set of elements specific to the field of research that constitute an obstacle course for female researchers. The study reaches, among others, the following conclusions: the uninterrupted nature of the academic career affects the trajectory when it coincides with care and maternity tasks; the presence of a masculinised academic culture can be traced, characterised by a series of norms and values among which an aggressive, imposing, categorical and intransigent style of communication stands out; and the presence of a masculinised academic culture, characterised by a series of norms and values among which an aggressive, imposing, categorical and intransigent style of communication stands out; and the presence of a masculinised academic culture, characterised by a series of norms and values among which an aggressive, imposing, categorical and intransigent style of communication stands out.
