on May 18, 2007
According to a recent report by the Swiss Federal Department of Statistics, the percentage of female students in Switzerand is close to parity (47%).This number diminishes however with each step of the scientific career; 44% of those receiveing their degree are women and only 38% receiving the doctorate degree. Once started on their post-doc career 27% of the positions of Grade A researchers*are women,and this number drops further still in universities, where only 17% of the research positions are held by women.These statistics, according to the report, underlinetwo different kinds of inequality: vertical inequality (women are more rare as you move up the ladder),and horizontal inequality (women are more represented in certain domains, and much less in the life sciences, exact sciences and engineering).The study compiles the results of the Swiss portion of a European study called “She Figures 2006”which compares results from across Europe with Japan and the US.
So how does the IRB stack up against this trend? After compiling our own statistics we contacted the author of the report at the Swiss Federal Office of Statistics.“The proportion of women in your institute is much higher than the national average and more in line with the international trend. Southern countries tend to have a higher proportion of women in scientific positions compared with Switzerland, Germany and Austria.” In fact women make up more than 65% of the employees at the IRB.The table below breaks these numbers down for position.
*Grade A researchers are defined as those who have reached the top of the hierarchy.
| Total Employees |
| F 49 (65%) |
| M 26 (35) |
IRB Students
F 20 (69%)
M 9 (31%)
IRB Technicians
F 8 (89%)
M 1 (11%)
IRB Scientists
F 13 (62%)
M 8 (38%)
IRB Admin
F 5 (71%)
M 2 (29%)
IRB Group Leaders
F 3 (33%)
M6 (67%)
