• Question: Is there a balance of male and female science researches?

    Asked by 796mcrk27 to Aaron, Ananthi, Ashley, Christopher, Emma, Lea on 7 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Emma Stevenson

      Emma Stevenson answered on 7 Nov 2017:

      That’s a great questions! Think of the balance like a pyramid. At university level (the bottom of the job pyramid) there is a good/ mostly even balance of men and women, but as you go higher up, ie to lecturer or professor, the roles are mostly predominantly filled by men. There is a big push by universities to keep women in science. If you look at something called the Athena Swan initiative you can find out more.

    • Photo: Ashley Otter

      Ashley Otter answered on 7 Nov 2017:

      Exactly as Emma has said. Sadly there are a lack of women in higher scientific jobs, but hopefully this will change soon as more and more girls are entering into a career in a STEM subject (Science, Technology, Engineering or Maths)

    • Photo: Lea Carlesso

      Lea Carlesso answered on 7 Nov 2017:

      I am joining what Emma and Ashley said. There is a good balance men/women at the bottom of the pyramid (PhD, postdoc). The more you get higher in the hierarchy the less easy you will find women. It is mainly due to the difficulties to find a career / personal life balance for women.
      Luckily, you have today some awareness about it, and as Emma said, some initiatives, such as Athena Swan, are rewarding institutes and companies who help women finding this balance and keeping them in the system.

    • Photo: Ananthi Ramachandran

      Ananthi Ramachandran answered on 7 Nov 2017:

      An excellent question! Sadly no, there is not a balance however as Emma mentioned the Athena Swan programme is trying to make more opportunities for women in science. However, I am proud to say my supervisor is 1 of 2 female professors in my department, that’s the highest title you can get!

    • Photo: Aaron Brown

      Aaron Brown answered on 7 Nov 2017:

      Sadly, at the moment the balance is tipped towards male researchers. Though this is constantly improving, our University holds special events to celebrate the research women carry out across science and engineering subjects (which are always great to attend).

      Though saying that, around my office there is probably about 40% female and 60% male PhD students: with the majority of the professors being women! Which is great to see 🙂

    • Photo: Christopher Richardson

      Christopher Richardson answered on 8 Nov 2017:

      Agree with everyone above however I’d like to point out (and its not very nice to say but its true) that the higher up in science you go in 2017 it is predominantly men but they are all of a certain generation (age) and achieved their academic qualifications in a time where equality was not a focus of universities, employers or society. By the time my generation and your generation reach adulthood and are fully into our careers, those people will have left the science jobs one way or another, and will be filled by the likes of Emma, Ashley, Lea, Ananthi and Aaron who have been brought up and educated in a very balanced and “fairer” educational and academic environment!
      So I’d say the future is much brighter than people think!

Comments