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This paper seeks to record an interview about Abbe Herzig's journey in mathematics education, career, research and practice. Abbe Herzig's passion and love for mathematics began at her childhood. Although at some points in her life, due to personal and professional reasons explained below, she left mathematics education and teaching, she returned to the mathematics discipline, not as a mathematician but as an education scholar. As such, she was able to investigate those aspects of the disciplinary culture of mathematics that turns so many women away and to help formulate ways that the mathematics community can make the subject a more inclusive endeavor. She has developed courses and programmes to help diverse populations of young people discover the relevance of mathematics and science to their interests and realities. Herzig is in the midst of a major six‐year research programme, funded by the USA National Science Foundation, concerned with women and students of colour in the postgraduate mathematical sciences.

This article is based on citations, discussion and interview with Abbe Herzig conducted in October 2006.

In one of her research studies, Abbe found that among mathematics faculty in one doctoral program their belief in talent moved the structure of doctoral education away from one of mentoring students to become mathematicians to one in which the faculty emphasized filtering out students not possessing the prerequisite dedication or talent. Mathematics is generally regarded as an objective field of knowledge, in which mathematicians work to discover truths about the natural world. In a more recent publication, Herzig has criticized the mathematics “pipeline” metaphor, as she believes it implies that students are passive actors in their education, reacting to “encountering a crack in the pipe”.

This is a unique profile of an internationally recognised scholar in the field of the diversity in mathematics. Herzig is a remarkable role model for women who wish to embark not only on mathematics education and profession, but other women too.

This paper seeks to address a key issue, yet a neglected area of local policy and research i.e. the “gender gap” in the labour market in the scientific‐based SMEs in the UK. The paper seeks to compare and contrast the employment and management structure, as well as participation in research and development (R&D) between female and male. It further aims to explore the educational background and the personal and professional barriers that prevent women from progression in scientific management and R&D related occupations.

The empirical investigation is based on a sample of 45 female employees working in science, engineering and technology (SET)‐related positions and 48 SET‐related companies. Data were collected through the empirical survey of SMEs and semi structured “face‐to‐face” interviews with female employees.

The study concluded that there was no evidence of specific SET‐related barriers preventing career progression amongst women. The major barriers to progression were related to work‐life balance issues such as dependent children as well as non‐gender‐related issues such as insufficient resources for training, lack of opportunities for career advancement and lack of encouragement from management, which are more likely to be SME‐related issues.

The paper suggests that current programmes and initiatives to encourage people to enter SET occupations may eventually increase participation in that workforce but will not necessarily increase numbers of women in managerial and highly technical positions because of the continuing conflict over work‐life balance decisions such as having a family, or because of management and SME‐related issues such as insufficient resources.

The findings are based on original and unique databases, assembled over the past two years, funded by the ESRC Science in Society Programme and the Higher Education European Social Fund National. The “gender gap” in the labour market in scientific‐based SMEs in the UK, combing data of companies and employees, has not, empirically, been investigated before.

This paper aims to investigate the “gender management gap” in the scientific labour market in the North East of England. The paper seeks to compare and contrast employment, ownership, management structure and capacity between men and women in the Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) sector.

The empirical investigation is based on a survey of 60 SET‐based small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs), operating in the North East of England.

The results show that women are particularly under‐represented in managerial and senior positions of scientific nature in the private sector in the North East of England. The “glass ceiling” effect appears to be widespread.

There are very limited empirical data and research on the nature and level of participation of women in the scientific managerial labour market at firm level in the UK. There is a need for more rigorous research at firm and regional levels to examine the cumulative effects of underlying factors that prevent women from progression, beyond the “glass ceiling”, in the scientific labour market.

This paper builds upon a research project funded by the ESRC Science in Society Programme. The key findings have resulted in a subsequent award from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Grants to establish the “North East Role Model Platform for Innovative Women” in the light of the Science City Initiative.

The “gender management gap” in the scientific labour market in the North East of England has not, empirically, been investigated before and appears to be a highly neglected area of public policy and research.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of open innovation practices on the innovation capability and export performance of UK small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs).

The empirical (quantitative) investigation is based on a sample of 64 SMEs in the UK – 33 “open” innovation firms and 31 “closed” innovation firms.

The overall results demonstrate that the international competitiveness of SMEs is highly dependent on the cumulative effects and interrelationship between two key internal components, i.e. R&D capacity and managerial structure and competencies, coupled with two external factors, i.e. open innovation practices and the ability of the firm to attract government grants for R&D and technological development.

Owing to the size of the sample, it has not been possible to undertake research within the context of specific regional disparities and/or sectoral characteristics.

In order to achieve and sustain competitive advantage in today's global market, SMEs need to collaborate with universities and other firms to advance and commercialise their technologies through “open innovation”.

Results show that open innovation activities and their impact on the international competitiveness of SMEs are complex and multi‐faceted. Essentially, they are highly related to and dependent upon the cumulative effects of, and interrelationship between, several key internal and external factors. Such factors cannot be fully explored through qualitative approaches as they require more complex and rigorous statistical analyses.

Not enough is known about the challenges faced by women professionals who possess the credentials, skills and knowledge that would allow them to be considered, alongside their male counterparts, for top‐rank positions. While, statistically, figures show an increase in women's representation in the Science, Engineering and Technology domain, academic research is yet to explore in greater depth both the reasons for women's continuing under‐representation at senior levels and their work experiences. This paper sets out to discuss this issue.

The paper examines the concept of the glass cliff, which seeks to explain what happens to women as they advance to senior positions. The analysis is based on qualitative research on women managers in the SET domain in the UK. Using career mapping and in‐depth ethnographic interviews, it discusses two case studies of senior women based at a leading multinational IT company with a range of supportive diversity schemes.

The investigation illustrates some of the opportunities offered, barriers raised and ways in which those interviewed sought to overcome them.

While specific in its focus, the study demonstrates the importance of understanding how women make sense of their careers and use organisational initiatives. The article also highlights the need to inspect the effectiveness of such programmes in particular work‐settings in order to identify best practices, and to draw effective equal opportunities policies.

The article presents further evidence to support the idea that women's representation at top‐ranking levels is fraught with difficulties and calls for fine‐tuning of both policy design and implementation and academic research.

It has been suggested that organisations with a better balance, or critical mass, of women would be more tolerant of difference and foster the inclusion of other women. This paper seeks to investigate whether a strategy of critical mass can really work in the engineering sector.

The data are based on research funded by the ESRC, and problematise critical mass theory through semi‐structured qualitative interviews and focus groups with female students from a range of engineering disciplines.

The findings demonstrate that women engineering students accept gender discrimination, view the industry positively, value their “novelty” status, and are critical of other women.

While these attitudes may be a result of women's assimilation into the existing engineering culture, they do little to further women's cause in engineering. Furthermore, it points to both the necessity, and difficulties, of transforming the engineering culture to ensure that the engineering professions are a place where women can not only survive but also thrive.

While previous research has addressed the critical mass of women in science, engineering and technology, this research critiques critical mass theory, not only because women continue to remain isolated within the sector, despite increasing numbers, but also because many women engineers reinforce the masculine culture within engineering.

Why do girls and women progressively opt out of maths‐related study and careers? This study aims to examine motivations influencing female adolescents' choices for maths participation during high school, which has implications for their long‐term careers.

Two longitudinal samples were included from different contexts – one from Sydney, Australia (N=459), and the other from Southeastern Michigan, USA (N=266). Both samples involved adolescents from upper middle‐class backgrounds, from coeducational government schools, and data in both settings were collected in the mid 1990s. Australian data spanned a three‐year period through grades 9 to 11; while the US sample spanned a five‐year period, with data from grades 8, 10, 11, and 12. The Expectancy‐Value model of Eccles (Parsons) et al., framed structural equation modelling analyses for the influences of maths ability‐related beliefs and values on boys' and girls' subsequent choices for senior high maths participation.

Boys selected higher levels of maths than girls in the Australian setting, although not in the US sample. There was no support for gendered maths achievement as a basis for gendered maths participation. Interest in and liking for maths were the strongest influence on the Australian adolescents' choices for maths participation, with ability beliefs also influencing choices over and above prior mathematical achievement. Ability‐related beliefs and different kinds of values also predicted adolescents' choices in the US sample, more strongly for girls than boys.

Interpretations and implications focus on ways to increase girls' and women's retention in the leaky maths pipeline.

Longitudinal data allow one to determine the extent to which different kinds of motivations predict boys' and girls' mathematical course‐taking through senior high school across Australian and US samples. This has implications for their long‐term careers.