Women in Copernicus: Recommendations from Women Testimonials

Women are an important part of the Copernicus experience. Although they are active and present in the production flow of the Copernicus / Earth Observation (EO) / Geoinformation (GI) domains, they are not always visible. Numerous studies have been carried out in the past on gender inequality in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), underlining the need to attract more women/girls into these disciplines. Nevertheless, little information exists on women working in a transversal and relatively new sector like the EO domain, and especially in the current Copernicus ecosystem. The project “Women in Copernicus” (WIC) shed some light into the gender subject from the point of view of women active in the Copernicus field. The WiC project included the implementation of a survey to which 460 women replied. Far from being fully representative of the whole ecosystem, these replies provide a first insight into a subject that deserves further consideration and actions in the future. One of the main conclusions drawn from the analysis of the survey is the need to establish cooperation and bridges between the networks aiming at empowering women in the EO/GI domain that already exist.