Accordingly, the Assembly invites the governments of the Council of Europe member states and the European Union to:
8.1 work to improve the collection and publication of statistics by gender and field of study, in national and standardised European surveys (school statistics and surveys on subsequent career paths of science and technology students);
8.2 encourage the establishment -and support the activities -of non-governmental organisations seeking to promote the interests of women working in the field of science and technology, including their rights to professional and personal development;
8.3 provide financial backing for the organisation of meetings, colloquies and networks of women graduates and scientists which could make possible fruitful comparison of women’s experiences in different countries;
8.4 take appropriate steps to remedy the situation in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) whereby, following the reduction in funding for the scientific and technological fields, the number of scientists has decreased, affecting more women than men;
8.5 take steps to provide financial incentives for girls wishing to take science subjects, by ensuring that the allocation of available grants between boys and girls is as fair as possible;
8.6 institute measures -from primary school onwards, particularly at the crucial period when pupils choose their subject orientation (during adolescence, between the ages of 12 and 18) -designed to make both boys and girls aware of the gender differences in study, employment and family roles. This might include group discussions on their aspirations and assessment of their aptitude for science and technology, introductory sessions to explain how technology works and can be used (using computers, audiovisual equipment, taking apart equipment used in daily life, and so on). The latter kind of activity would be particularly useful for reassuring girls about their aptitude for science and technology;
8.7 ensure that girls are not left out of the new information technology revolution and that programmes are devised specifically to familiarise girls with computers;
8.8 popularise female role models in the sciences, drawing on women with different backgrounds: academics, engineers and managers, young and not-so-young, occupying high-ranking or more ordinary positions, mothers, single women, and so on, so that girls can identify with them;
8.9 encourage teachers to invite parents to information meetings aimed at overcoming the prejudices often found in families which tend to discourage girls from choosing a career in science and technology;
8.10 promote the introduction into university curricula for teachers of special training on equal opportunities between men and women, including historical and social data on education, vocational training and the work of men and women, emphasising gender-specific features as well as positive developments, with a view to adapting teachers’ approaches to girls and boys in class to the new realities;
8.11 promote teacher training for a mixed audience, bearing in mind the different behaviour of girls and boys with regard to different disciplines, particularly the sciences, and career opportunities;
8.12 encourage analysis of sexist representations in school textbooks and the media and eliminate all such stereotypes, in parallel with consideration of a less sexist and more attractive reflection of sciences that highlights their impact on developments in society, the environment and health;
8.13 ensure a greater male/female balance on examination boards, recruitment panels for teachers and university researchers and, where applicants are of equal merit, ensure preferential treatment for the under-represented sex;
8.14 ensure favourable conditions for career development and equal promotion opportunities for women in science and technology (vocational training courses, participation in high priority projects, fair assessment of professional competence, and so on);
8.15 seek to heighten male scientists’ awareness and provide training for them on issues of equality between women and men;
8.16 take measures to encourage industry to clarify and publicise their recruitment and mobility procedures for each sex.
