CSIC reduces the glass ceiling to an all-time low and continues to make progress on gender equality

• The organisation has published the report ‘Women Researchers 2026’ (IMI2026), drawn up by its Commission on Women and Science (CMyC)

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), an organisation attached to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, continues to make progress on gender equality, with notable improvements in the representation of women in leadership roles and in the senior ranks of the scientific career path, according to the ‘Women Researchers 2026’ (IMI2026) report, drawn up by the organisation’s Commission on Women and Science (CMyC).

This document reflects a positive trend in gender equality indicators, whilst identifying areas where imbalances persist that require attention and monitoring.

The CSIC maintains gender parity across its workforce as a whole, with 50.8 per cent of staff being women, and has established a strong female presence in leadership roles. In 2025, women held 60 per cent of the institution’s management posts and accounted for 39.7 per cent of institute directors, a figure that has risen by nearly 14 percentage points over the last three years. Furthermore, women already accounted for 29.8 per cent of research professors, the highest level in the scientific career path, representing significant progress compared with previous years.

One of the most significant findings of the report is the improvement in the Glass Ceiling Index (GCI), an indicator that measures the difficulties women face in accessing the highest scientific categories. In 2025, the GCI stood at 1.30, compared with 1.44 the previous year, reaching the lowest value in the CSIC’s entire historical series, with Humanities and Social Sciences, Materials Science and Technology, and Food Science and Technology being the sub-areas where the glass ceiling is least pronounced.

The document also highlights certain aspects that should continue to be analysed in the coming years. These include the representation of women in Ramón y Cajal fellowships (39.7 per cent), a strategic means of recruiting and retaining research talent, as well as women’s participation in certain activities related to knowledge transfer and innovation.

In the field of research, the report notes that female researchers maintain levels of scientific productivity comparable to those of their male colleagues, as measured by indicators such as recognised six-year and five-year evaluations. Furthermore, they play an active role in securing competitive funding and in training new generations of research staff.

The report also highlights the role of female researchers in the internationalisation of science. In 2025, women led 42.3 per cent of international projects of excellence and more than half of the ongoing international cooperation projects at the CSIC, a level of participation that underscores their growing contribution to scientific leadership and the institution’s international profile.

Overall, the findings set out in the 2026 Women Researchers Report show a sustained trend towards greater gender equality at the CSIC. The breaking down of the glass ceiling, the increase in the number of women in positions of responsibility and the growing prominence of female researchers in scientific activity are positive indicators of this progress, whilst also highlighting the importance of maintaining policies and initiatives that enable the continued reduction of the inequalities that still exist throughout a research career.