Lithuania ranks second among EU member states in terms of women’s participation in science and innovation, according to the latest She Figures 2024 report published by the Research Council of Lithuania on Tuesday.
According to the report, Lithuania scored 84.5 out of 100 points, behind Sweden (87.6 points) and followed by Finland (80.8 points) in third place.
Lithuania stood out in terms of gender equality in research.
Women are increasingly taking up senior positions in higher education institutions as their share increased from 27 percent to 38 percent, above the EU average, between 2014 and 2022, the report shows.
“However, women are still less likely than men to receive research funding,” the RCL said.
The number of female authors of scientific publications and inventors in Lithuania also exceeds the EU average. Between 2018 and 2022, women accounted for 42 percent of co-authors of scientific publications, compared to the EU average of 34 percent, and accounted for 17 percent of patent applicants, compared to the EU average of just 9.4 percent.
“However, the declining participation of women in self-employment in science, engineering and information technology is a cause for concern,” the RCL pointed out.
In 2018, women accounted for 37 percent of professionals in these fields, but they made only 24 percent in 2021, the RCL said, stressing the need to strengthen gender equality measures.
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