Abstract:

According to the latest update of the report “She Figures 2012”, gender inequalities in science tend to persist, despite progresses achieved. These inequalities encompass, among many others, aspects such as female participation in science studies, proportion of women that graduate in science-related fields, female representation in economic sectors (e.g. higher education, government, business sectors) and types of jobs/roles occupied by women.
Female participation in the aeronautics sector (including academy and industry) is particularly relevant, as this sector reveals a skills shortage, which is likely to increase unless concerted measures are implemented at European level to invert the trend. In a context where the AI (Aeronautics Industry) needs more highly qualified workers, Europe cannot afford to dismiss the participation of thousands of girls/women that exclude science and technology as options due to gender-related prejudices or lack of conditions for their studies and careers.

Introduction:
The IN2SAI project (www.in2sai.eu) deals with the challenges connected to low female participation in the aeronautics industry (AI) and science studies in general, as stated in the following facts and figures that reflect the lack of balance and problems in the current European Science and Technology landscape:
- Most women choose to enrol in arts, human studies, and social sciences;
- Women that conclude studies in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) are less likely than men to work in these areas;
- Less than 15% of the workforce in AI is female and they often occupy administrative and marketing-related positions;
- Some jobs are still seen as “male jobs” (e.g. engineers) and others as “female jobs” (e.g. nurses);
- Europe faces a shortage of perhaps 25,000 engineers per year.
The IN2SAI consortium is developing a set of activities to achieve the ultimate goal of the project: foster female integration into the AI. The project will contribute to enhance collaboration between academia and industry, to identify possible causes for the low female engagement in scientific studies and jobs in the AI.

Activities in the project:
The activities of the project target 3 main target groups: School community including students, teachers, parents; Higher Education system, including students, professors, researchers; Labour market/AI, including human resource managers, careers counsellors. Activities to be implemented under the motto “Bridging Women, Science & Industry” include the organisation of technological clinics, mentoring field trips and adjustment of educational programmes to increase the interest of young women in scientific courses and careers in the AI. For a wider community outreach, IN2SAI is developing case studies and organising open days to raise awareness to the opportunities for female participation in these fields.

Data Analysis:
One of the first activities of the project aimed at analysing the current situation of young women’s participation in science and aeronautics studies and industry. This activity focused on data gathering from the different target groups, through desk research and online questionnaires, with the purpose of collecting information about current female participation in aeronautic studies and the perception of women in scientific careers and the aeronautic industry. The data collected are from different European countries in order to extrapolate this information to the rest of the EU.

Keywords:

Women, Science, Aeronautics, Education.