100 years later: has anythingchanged for women in science?

Dr Cathy FoleyChief CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering and President of Federation of Scientific and Technological Societies (FASTS)

Ruby Payne-Scott (1912 - 1981)Ruby Payne-Scott (1912 - 1981)

CSIRO.

Why Women In Science?

•Need to change the argument to a value proposition

• It is good management/business to have gender equity

• Shift the argument to productivity measure not equity

• Need to boost numbers of scientists and engineers, attracting women to stay is one way to boost numbers (untapped reserves)

• Best team work achieved when there is diversity in the team

2010 Enrolments Higher School Certificate 2010 Enrolments Higher School Certificate NSWNSW

Female Higher Education Enrolments by Broad Field Female Higher Education Enrolments by Broad Field of Study 1983 – 2000of Study 1983 – 2000

CSIRO.

Traditional Female

Growing female participation

Few Females engineering

Science

Health humanities social sciences education

Female Higher Education Enrolments by Broad Field Female Higher Education Enrolments by Broad Field of Education 2000 - 2007of Education 2000 - 2007

Academic Profiles by Gender; Natural and Physical Sciences 2007 Source: DEEWR Selected Higher Education Student Statistics 2007; DEST Special Report FTE Staff inAOU Groups 2007

UniversitiesUniversities

Percentage of Females by CSOF level 2009Source: CSIRO Annual Report 07/08

CSIROCSIRO

source: NATIONAL POLICIES ON WOMEN AND SCIENCE IN EUROPE, a report aboutsource: NATIONAL POLICIES ON WOMEN AND SCIENCE IN EUROPE, a report aboutWomen and Science in 30 countries, by Prof. Teresa Rees, School of Social Sciences, Women and Science in 30 countries, by Prof. Teresa Rees, School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, U.K.,Cardiff University, U.K.,March 2002, published by the European Commission.March 2002, published by the European Commission.

CSIRO.

Global Survey of Physicists - US AIP Survey

CSIRO.

130 countries 14,932 respondents

• Women physicists have fewer professional opportunities compared to their male colleagues.

less international travel, fewer resources,

less lab space, fewer invitations to give invited talks and join important committees

• This is known to be the case in all disciplines.

• When women ask for resources they are labelled as inappropriate while their male colleagues are labelled as resourceful.

• Women physicists marry physicists, two body problem• Women carry the majority of home responsibilities

Traditional Career PathTraditional Career Path

Source: Stevens-Kalceff et al. 2007

Source: Stevens-Kalceff et al. 2007

Career pathsCareer paths

Age (years)20 30 40 50 60

MEN

WOMEN

Trend broken by women who have

won major fellowships with

extra financial resources

CSIRO.

Percentage of Females by seniority level 1995 – 2008 in my research organisation

Source: CSIRO Annual Report 07/08

150 years to have 50% females

Postdoc

Professor

ARC Discovery Grant ApplicationsARC Discovery Grant Applications

• ARC Discovery and Linkage grants

• Success rates for male and female applicants across all ARC grant schemes are comparable.

• Participation rates for women are significantly lower than for males for Discovery and Linkage grants.

• ARC Future Fellowships are designed to attract and retain the best and brightest mid-career researchers yet women constituted 29% of applicants.

• Women make up only 8.5% of ARC Federation Fellows, designed to attract world-class researchers and world-class research leaders to key positions.

• Learned Academies

• Academy of Science - women constitute only 7% of Fellows. • Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering - 6% of Fellows are

female.

Universities & Research Institutes

•Women are a small portion of the science and engineering faculty members at research universities

•Typically receive fewer resources and less support than their male colleagues

•The representation of women in leadership positions in our academic institutions, scientific and professional societies, and honorary organisations is low relative to the numbers of women qualified to hold these positions.

It is not lack of talent, but unintentional biases and outdated institutional structures that are hindering the access and advancement of women.

Female leaders and role models

•NSW Chief Scientist •CEO of CSIRO•CEO of the ARC •President, Academy of Science•President, FASTS

Without significant female seniority in the sector, this profile of leadership – arguably based on individual achievement – is fragile.

CSIRO.

Summary of Australian Report

• Junior women are well supported and don’t feel any gender discrimination

• Tenured, senior women feel marginalized and isolated with significant salary differences

• Not much has changed in 15 years

These trends appear to be universal - world-wide

Toy manufacturers have figured it out when will the public sector catch up?

1960’s

Call to action

• Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick noted: “the solution does not lie in making it necessary for women to work like men”

• Next steps to secure full participation, productivity and success of women may be more demanding than ‘accommodating’ women through provision of maternity leave and child care to established (male) patterns of work

• The FASTS’ Women in Science Report argues we need to

• reframe scientific career paths • change institutional cultures • change the way decisions are made (including the composition of

decision-making bodies)

WISE Summit April 2011

• Commitments made to the Summit• NHMRC committed to considering any nominated five years rather

than the immediate previous five years when assessing research publication records for grants for those who have taken career breaks.

• NHMRC also committed to long term monitoring and addressing gender issues with research institutes

• ARC committed to extending the normal period taken into account when assessing research publication records for grants.

• ARC also committed to:• considering the inclusion of outreach activities in assessment for

grants;• sharing examples of the benefits of increasing the participation of

women in research;

CSIRO.

• CSIRO committed to removing barriers to the promotion of highly skilled women, and boosting incentives to encourage women to return to the workforce after maternity leave.

• increasing the number of Payne-Scott awards—grants designed to bring women back to the workforce after childbirth;

• removing cultural barriers, and building greater trust and respect for women within the organisation; and

• reporting publicly on gender participation

• Australian Technology Network universities committed to reviewing performance targets and time frames for the number of female academics employed at all levels in science, technology, and engineering (STE) with a view to meeting or exceeding the proportion of women employed across STE industries nationally;

• IBM, a significant employer of scientists and technologists, committed to supporting CSIRO’s Science in Schools program;

CSIRO.

• FASTS committed to working with scientific societies across the nation to conduct audits of practices with a view to increasing the participation of women through best practice. FASTS also committed to:

• gathering examples of existing practices, programs and policies which have been successful in increasing the participation of women;

• developing a toolkit to guide the science and technology sector;

• Australian Institute of Marine Sciences committed to collecting and publishing data on issues relating to childcare in rural and regional Australia;

• Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) committed to improving childcare and parent resources. BoM also committed to:

• using its website—the most visited government website—to raise awareness of gender issues;

• All research leaders committed to taking the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles back to their home organisations and supporting their adoption;

CSIRO.

• Whole Summit committed to meeting again in a year’s time to review progress.

CSIRO.

ATSE

CSIRO.

ATSE Assembly 6: Communiqué

ATSE Assembly met on Thursday 19 May 2011 in Brisbane. Key outcomes for the meeting were that ATSE Assembly:   Agreed to set, for 2012 and beyond, target ratios for election of New Fellows each year to be:•        33% to be women.

These targets will enable ATSE to strengthen its role in the application of technological science and engineering for the benefit of Australia and its leadership on gender equity for the workforce in these fields.   Endorsed the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles and the development of a Program of Action to back ATSE’s Gender Equity Policy (including implementing the gender targets for membership) by an ATSE Gender Equity Implementation Group.

CSIRO.

Some specific ideas to increase female numbers in Science

• Cathy’s ideas• No cost ideas-

• Report on gender at all levels at all organisational management meetings - gender index?

• Culture change – easy to say hard to do but has been achieved in organisations with safety why not women in science?

• All senior appointments are advertised not just tap on shoulder• Require internal and/or external females to apply and invite them• Make sure that there are several females on all selection committees

not just one. Use external contacts if necessary• Advertisements must not have a requirement for high degree of travel

as a essential criteria or as a discriminating selection criteria• 24/7 work not expected or cause for discrimination• Audit of practices in the work place – can we do a treasure hunt to find

where we unintentionally discriminate?• Cost ideas-

• Provide funds to support women with young children (e.g. $10k per year for five years to fill in extra costs or provide support- untied)

• Develop re-entry “fellowships” or some equitable way to get into science after a career break.

CSIRO.

Science: “Not for normal people” (BBC News)

• 11,000 pupils for their views on science and scientists• Around 70% of the 11-15 year olds questioned said they did not

picture scientists as “normal young and attractive men and women”.

• Among those who said they would not like to be scientists, reasons included:

• “Because you would constantly be depressed and tired and not have time for family”

• “Because they all wear big glasses and white coats and I am female”.

• Some of the findings were positive:• 80% of pupils thought scientists did “very important work” and• 70% thought they worked “creatively and imaginatively”

CSIRO.

Fermilab program of drawing a scientistby seventh graders before and after a visit to Fermilab.

Before

I think of a scientist as very dedicated to his work.

He is kind of crazy, talking always quickly.

He constantly is getting new ideas.

He is always asking questions and can be annoying.

He listens to others’ ideas and questions them.

How do girls perceive scientists?

CSIRO.

I know scientists are just normal people with a not so normal job. . . .

Scientists lead a normal life outside of being a scientist. They are interested in dancing, pottery, jogging and even racquetball.

Being a scientist is just another job which can be much more exciting.

After

CSIRO.

Lessons I have learnt to make my career work

• Family first (not political)• Teachers are really important• Mentoring and words count• Pick a good PhD project• Be involved in your professional society and conferences- networking works• Be helpful- put up your hand to referee papers at a conference, accept the

invitation to help develop the conference program…• Non-work based experiences can give you excellent professional development• What happens at work affects your life- be careful with every individual. They

have someone who loves them too• Be specific and direct with feedback, even when it is uncomfortable.• Don’t be a victim• You are only as strong as your team• Feel empowered to make a change – don’t let the system get you down• To be different, you have to do different (yes Dr Phil does have a good point)• Make your closest relationships a priority

CSIRO.

More lessons

• ***Find your voice!***• Learn to give a good talk• Keep fit• What are we having for dinner tonight?• What will I wear today?• Housework…..10-15 minute a day rule• Make technology work for you

Thank you!

CSIRO.

Women can be scientists and

engineers