GENDERACTIONplus Position Paper 7: Research Careers: The Ground for Gender+ Inclusion

Sustainable and inclusive research careers are key foundations for ensuring high standards of science, research results, knowledge transfer, and innovation, in the sense that they allow for an optimal allocation of highly qualified human resources and capacities, improving the system´s competitiveness in the short and long run. However, the frequent lack of funding, coupled with an overly restrictive definition of scientific excellence, has led to an excessive increase in competitiveness at the national and global levels, resulting in reduced success rates in grant application calls and a worsening of existing inequities and inequalities. Policies have to clearly address this complex problem in order to prevent or offset these contradictory impacts and to better preserve the sustainability and inclusiveness of the Higher Education (HE) and Research and Innovation (R&I) systems and of research and academic careers in particular. It is essential to further refine and adjust policies so that they more efficiently tackle their systemic and potential collateral effects, in particular the risk of the perverse ‘cumulative advantage’ as expressed in the so-called ‘Matthew effect’ (Merton, 1968). The aim of this policy brief is to contribute to the more effective fulfilment of the vision, guidelines, and collective concerns expressed in the policy documents, specifically focusing on the promotion of gender+ inclusive research careers, while emphasising gender and diversity as the mainstays of fair and balanced research careers. This would help to ensure equal chances of realising personal career ambitions for all and removing structural and cultural barriers.