Although the number of female researchers has increased in recent years, women are still under-represented among the scientific staff at the Danish research institutions. Almost half of the new PhD graduates in Denmark are women, but the percentage of female professors is less than 20%.

Both among research institutions and among research councils and foundations there is an increasing focus on promoting a more equal gender balance in research. Despite the increasing focus there is a continuing need for initiatives that will support a strengthening of the representation of women in research.

The Danish Minister for Higher Education and Science has therefore set up a new task force that, on the basis of the existing knowledge about the challenges and barriers for women in research, is to make recommendations for initiatives that can be immediately put into action to help improve the gender balance in research. The task force is also to assess what kind of additional knowledge that might be needed to take effective actions to change the gender balance. The task force is expected to complete its work and deliver its recommendations to the Minister by the end of March 2015.

Read more about the task force (in Danish) on the website for the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science and read the Ministry’s press release on the task force (in Danish).