Cardiff School of Social Sciences

Research Interests

• Gender mainstreaming
• Women and science policy in Europe
• Labour market analysis
• Higher education funding policy

I am particularly interested in an approach to promoting gender equality known as gender mainstreaming. This is based on the theoretical concept of the ‘politics of difference’ and is about embedding a gender dimension into policies and processes, systems and structures. It turns the attention away from individuals and their rights, and from groups and their disadvantages, and focuses instead on how policies and practices can, however inadvertently, reproduce patterns of inequality. Gender mainstreaming seeks to promote gender equality in the organisation, its way of doing things and in its culture. I have worked with a range of bodies and governments in Europe and elsewhere to apply a gender mainstreaming approach in the development of governance, education, training and labour market policies, regional economic development, the ‘knowledge economy’, social exclusion, transport and sport.

Most recently my work has focused on women and science policies in Europe, a particular concern of the Research Directorate-General of the European Commission for whom I have acted as an expert adviser. I was rapporteur for a series of international groups of scientists commissioned by the EC to inform policies on recruiting, retaining and making the most of women in science, engineering and technology in the public and private sectors, and to benchmark national policies on women and science. I also assisted in work on ‘measuring excellence’ for the design of the 7^th Framework Programme.

My third more longstanding area of specialism is labour market analysis, especially in Europe and in Wales. This research has looked at the ‘knowledge economy’, learning societies, adult guidance services, gender segregation, equal pay and the labour market.