On September 21st, Broad Impacts was lucky enough to welcome Kathie Olsen, a former deputy director of the National Science Foundation, as she led a discussion with the group about the challenges faced by women in science. We heard some disappointing statistics regarding the number of women in top positions in science, talked about salary disparities, and members of the group shared stories of their personal experiences advancing in their careers. Throughout the discussion, we identified a number of things that we can do now to help women be successful in their scientific careers. Here are the points we came up with:
-Fight against unconscious bias. People of all genders can hold unconscious bias against women that may prevent them from suggesting women for awards, selecting them for open positions, awarding them tenure, etc. However, being aware of those personal biases allows those individuals to consciously reduce their own biased activities. Not only can we take note of our own biases and attempt to reduce them, we can also make our colleagues aware of their unconscious biases.
-Bring up issues of concern. If there is a policy or practice that selectively reduces the ability of women to succeed in science, bring it to the attention of others! Policies can be changed, but often only if there is a person or group of people willing to advocate for the change.
-Fight for equal salary. Women should be willing to negotiate for a salary that is fair based on the market and compared to others in that same position. Do your homework on what the appropriate salary is, and be prepared to ask for it.
-Be good at your job. Success takes hard work, and women who are good at their jobs (without worrying too much about the social aspects of their positions - whether they are liked by others, etc) are likely to be successful.
-Learn to say no. A few members of the group mentioned how important it is to prioritize in life so that a successful career is possible. Sometimes this means saying no to the little things (like making someone else do the dishes!).
-Be persistent and don't take it personally. Sometimes discrimination, or just plain bad luck, will keep women from reaching a goal. Always resubmit!
-Be optimistic - things are improving, and we are all helping to make things better.
Futher reading:
>For those of you at the University of Minnesota, a recently distributed report found that male faculty are paid on average 2.2% higher than female faculty at the same level. Click here to read the report.
>Christine of the blog Just Another Electron Pusher has a short but sweet post about why women leave careers in science.
>An August report from the United States Commerce Department's Economics and Statistics Administration finds that women are underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, and make less money than their male counterparts. Click here for the summary from Science magazine, and here for the full report.
Thank you to everyone who came to our discussion on women in science! Let's keep talking about these issues.
