Participants of the Eurasian Women’s Forum held on 13 – 15 October in St. Petersburg discuss the role of women in the modern world. The theme of the Forum organized for the third time touches upon the global mission of women in the new reality.

JINR Director Academician Grigory Trubnikov represented the Joint Institute at the Forum. He gave a talk on 14 October at the thematic session “Women scientists in the context of global challenges of our time”.

Lilia Gumerova, Speaker of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture, moderated the event and noted a considerable contribution made by Grigory Trubnikov and the entire staff of the Institute to the preparation of the session.

Grigory Trubnikov highlighted in his report “Women scientists: attractiveness of career path in international scientific organization” that science should not be divided into male and female. “A person engaged in science should just love it and have all kinds of opportunities to fulfil their talents regardless of gender,” he stressed.

Speaking about the work of women scientists at the Institute, he noted that women make up about one-third of the JINR staff. “We strive to carefully observe the gender balance. It is necessary to create conditions for women to occupy high positions,” Academician Trubnikov said. The Institute’s Director highlighted that since the meeting in Ufa, four key positions at the Institute had been occupied by women. For example, Otilia Culicov, who took an in-person part in the session, became the Deputy Chief Scientific Secretary of JINR. Participants of the discussion considered the issue of different salaries of women and men in science and other realms. The Institute’s Director noted that “there really is such an imbalance in science, and certain corrections are necessary.”

Participants of the event and the JINR Director, in particular, paid special attention to the issue of the continuous career of young scientists becoming mothers and possible ways to support them. There were some proposals made on introducing flexible working hours, an opportunity for remote work, the creation of nursery groups. These initiatives already find fulfilment in Dubna where a family kindergarten has been created on the initiative of JINR staff members on the basis of the JINR Library. To introduce and support such projects, JINR is actively considering the revival of the Women’s Council. In this regard, Lilia Gumerova noted that the Joint Institute may become a pilot of such innovations.

Photo by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

Participants also discussed educational projects in the fields of cyber security. “We are ‘drawning’ in information flows. That is why there is a long-standing issue in the pedagogical area of training specialists to teach children working with data,” Grigory Trubnikov said. The moderator of the session Lilia Gumerova supported this idea and noted, “It is a first-priority task requiring scientific approach.”

Grigory Trubnikov in his speech also gave examples of foreign educational projects aimed to change the public perception of women in science, to support women in science, and to popularise the scientific career among young women.

About 500 women from all over the world have declared their participation in the Forum. There is a pleyad of brilliant women scientists among them who have also taken part in the thematic session in person and online: CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti, Vice-President of the Academy of Scientific Research & Technology of Egypt Gina el-Feky, Professor of the Department of Physics at the University of Novi Sad Natasa Todorovic, Member of the Committee on Science and Education of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan Kerimzade Parvin Orkhan gizy, and other women scientists from different countries.

JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov together with Lilia Gumerova will also co-host a business brunch SCIENCE-party planned in the agenda of the Forum. The idea of the brunch is to encourage informal contacts for cooperation in the topical issues of the modern scientific agenda.

The Eurasian Women’s Forum held regularly since 2015 is organized by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The focus of the Forum’s key discussions is on the role of women in global security, social progress, transition to new models of economic growth, healthcare development, and high-tech industries, solving global environmental and climate problems.