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A Seat at the Table -
The Talent Bank Project
Increasing women's participation in decision-making in science, engineering & technology
WITS is compiling a register of women working in science, engineering & technology SET in Ireland, who are
recognised experts and leaders in their field, and willing to serve on decision-making bodies. The resulting
database, of 200-plus women, will encompass the public sector, academia and industry, and the finished
'Talent Bank' will be circulated to nominating agencies and linked to similar international databases. The aim
is to greatly improve women's participation in decision-making in the scientific, engineering and technological
arenas.
This important new project, co-funded by the Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform (under the
National Development Plan's 'equality for women measure'), was officially launched by Minister of State
Willie O'Dea, TD, on March 12th 2003.
Pictured at the launch were WITS chairperson, Dr Eucharia Meehan (left), Minister Willie O'Dea, and project manager Ms Liz Creed.
Read the WITS press release and the Minister's speech
Background
Women must have their rightful say in decision-making, for democratic reasons and gender equity, and
because decision-making in science and technology today means deciding the direction of major research
programmes and how sizeable sums of money will be spent.
Yet, the percentage of women appointed to State boards in general seldom reaches 40%, though this has been
an official government target since 1991. And in science the situation is worse: WITS took a random sample of
20 State boards in SET, and found that 28% of appointees were women in 1997, but this had fallen to 25% by
2002.
Clearly, something must be done. We believe a 'Talent Bank' will help, as a common reason cited for not
appointing women is difficulty locating suitable candidates. Some years ago, WITS produced a small-scale
talent bank, with information on nearly 100 qualified women. This new project will greatly expand this work,
resulting in a comprehensive database of women scientists, technologists and engineers.
The new project
For this project, WITS will:
- Examine the factors that limit women's participation in decision-making
- Develop a model for producing an effective Talent Bank that will be of practical use
- Compile a register of 200-plus talented and qualified women from all areas of SET
- Examine whether further measures, such as quotas or incentives, are needed
- Publish 1,000 copies of the Talent Bank, and possibly a web edition
- Circulate the Talent Bank to nominating bodies (eg, semi-state agencies, enterprise boards)
- Promote and evaluate the use of the Talent Bank
WITS believes this Talent Bank will increase women's opportunities to contribute to policy making, redress
the balance on boards and high-level committees, and improve the public profile of women scientists. The
work should also identify a whole new generation of potent role models to inspire young women science
students. And the methodology we develop for the Talent Bank will be shared with sister organisations in other
sectors.
The Talent Bank will be published in Spring 2004, but WITS is committed to maintaining and expanding it, so
that it will always be an up-to-date resource.
WITS wants to hear from you
Can you . . .
- Suggest how to make this Talent Bank as effective as possible?
- Refer potential candidates who might be considered for the Talent Bank?
- Suggest how we can improve women's participation in decision-making?
Contact:
Elizabeth Creed, Project Manager, WITS Talent Bank, PO Box 2, Kinsale, Co Cork
or
wits@iol.ie
Related websites:
European Database of Women Experts in SET
National Women's Council of Ireland
Equality for Women Measure
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
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