The Federal Ministry of Education and Science, in cooperation with the University of Sarajevo organizes organizing a discussion on the topic “Women in Science” upon the occasion of printing and publishing the “Bosnian Women Scientists and Their Research Opus.”

Participants:

• Prof. Dr. Elvira Dilberović, Minister
• Prof. Dr. Dženana Husremović
• Prof. Dr. Jasminka Hasić Telalović
• Prof. Dr. Husnija Kamberović

Moderator:

• Vahida Krekić

On 13 and 14 April 2018, the Federal Ministry of Education and Science, in cooperation with the “Džemal Bijedić” University of Mostar Faculty of Humanities and the Modern History Association in Sarajevo organized a scientific conference called “Bosnian women scientists and their research work.”

120 scientists of both genders participated in the Conference, whereas 51 papers were published in the Proceedings.

The right to education is one of the basic human rights whose realization is crucial for the individual development of personality and its ability to claim and enjoy all other human rights. The issue of women social status, and in particular their right to education, in the past depended on prevalent class and gender ideologies. Initial forms of women's institutional education, primarily through separate “schools for girls” with specially designed programs, emphasized their gender diversity and subordinate position in the family and society. Higher forms of education and training for women have long been thwarted by legal barriers. Although significant advances have been made, especially after World War II, there are still many stereotypes to this day regarding the advancement of women in their academic and scientific careers and hierarchies.

The European experience shows that the share of women scientists in managerial positions has increased significantly in recent decades, but is still much lower than their share in the total number of employees in higher education and scientific institutions. It is also evident that even with the same qualifications, female scientists most often work in lower positions than their male counterparts. This is why governments in many countries, as well as universities in Europe and the US, have created programs to research and promote women's equality in an academic setting.

The involvement of Bosnian women in academic and scientific research has been done in a similar fashion to that in other European countries. Therefore, this conference is an effort to highlight through the papers presented the contribution of women to the development of science in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and their current position in academia and society.