Abstract:

Strategic Plan for Equal Opportunities, 2008-2011 (Spanish Ministry of Equality) (1), based on the Equality Law (March, 2007) (2) is inspired in two basic principles: non-discrimination and equality. The Strategic Plan is based on four governing principles: “citizenship, empowerment, gender mainstreaming and innovation, which are, moreover, inter-related. Scientific and technological innovation are among the forces that drive social change, and their mastery confers enormous power, for the control over technology affords control over the future”. In 1989, it was created the I Research and Development Spanish National Plan (NP I+D), which included a program on Sport Studies. However, various circumstances led to the disappearance of the program at the end of the II NP (I+D) in 1995. Ten years later, it was impelled a Strategic Action on Health, Physical Activity and Sports, that was included in the V Research Development and Technological Innovation National Plan (NP I+D+i) 2005-2008. Since 2009, Sports Science is included in the VI NP I+D+i (2008-2011) as any other science. The disconnection suffered and the diversity of scientific programs could have influenced their participation. This circumstance could affect more to female researchers. The aim of this study is to analyze the participation of female researchers in the area of Sports Science in the N P Programs from 2005 to 2010 and compare it with the participation of male researchers and, in turn, with other sciences. For the study was used the existing data from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation related to the last five calls on Sport Sciences. The results indicate that the percentage of projects awarded to principal female researches (PFR) in Sports Science ranged between 19-36%. They obtain between 16-33% of the budget. In relation to the rest of sciences, included in the National Plan, the percentages were of 25-27% and 22-25%, respectively. The participation of female sports scientist researchers, non-PFR, in projects awarded ranged between 26-47% while in other sciences was up to 38-41%. Eurostat data indicated that the participation in projects of European female researchers, included in EU-27 and EU-15, was less than 30% between 2005 and 2006. Also, in this study is analyzed the participation of women by areas of knowledge within the Sports Science, by age, by time of commitment, by financial resources granted, by type of entity involved, by region and by type of project, technological or not, involving companies or institutions interested in the exploitation of results (EPOs). In conclusion, in this scientific and technological field the participation of female researchers is much lower than that of male researchers. The differences are more pronounced in PFR. However, female participating in Sports Science projects weren’t different from other women researchers. This information is relevant and is encouraging because it is an indicator of the rapid incorporation, in just five years, of female sports researchers to the scientific and technological fields. However, the development of the Strategic Plan is relevant to achieve equality between female and male sports scientists researchers and has to be applied, like the rest of science, to Sports Science.

References:
(1) Ministerio de Igualdad (2008). Plan estratégico de igualdad de oportunidades (2008-2011). Madrid.
(2) BOE (2007). Ley Orgánica 3/2007 de 23 de Marzo, de Igualdad de Mujeres y Hombres.

Keywords:

Female, woman, sports scientist, research, development, innovation, National Plan I+D+i, equality, equality gender, Sports Science.