where did the women go?

i helped organize a Women in Astronomy Workshop for the astronomical society of australia that took place in sydney this past friday the 13th of may. a major goal of the workshop was to raise awareness of general issues that face women, who ultimately drop out of the field in huge numbers within a few years of getting a PhD, and work towards finding solutions that can be applied by institutions and individuals to retain women in the profession and help them succeed.

so what is the problem exactly? the good news is that half the students attaining undergraduate science degrees from universities are women. not everyone is interested in attaining a degree beyond a bachelors degree, and that is absolutely reasonable, but of those that choose to pursue a PhD, roughly 40% are women (in australia anyway, the percentage worldwide is probably between 30% and 40% for astronomy). but within a few years of getting a PhD the percentage of participating women starts dropping dramatically, such that less than 8% of science professors are women and less than 4% of the top level positions at science institutions, universities, and observatories are appointed to women. from a management standpoint, it is an incredibly poor business practice to invest in the training of so many women only to lose all their knowledge, expertise, and training within a few short years.

keep in mind that this isnt a problem unique to astronomy or even academia: in the corporate sector, women hold something like 15% of the highest positions and board seats, and of all the people in parliament in the world, only 13% are women (source: see video below). it is not possible just simply to say - women have babies and then decide to drop out of their profession. this is true for some, partially because there is not yet adequate support and flexibility to help parents get back into the swing of things after such a career break, but overall the reasons are much more complex and not discussed openly enough, in my opinion.

one point made at the workshop that i had not fully appreciated before is that women tend not to say things in meetings (big or small) unless they are almost certain that what they are about to say is absolutely "correct." it is more common for men to throw out speculative ideas without regard to whether someone might show they are wrong, or without considering whether their statement might hold up an otherwise very tight meeting agenda.

one of the many reasons for this might be something called "the imposter syndrome," which affects most people to some degree, but much more often women, and potentially to a career-debilitating degree. the imposter syndrome describes the fear or worry that eventually someone will figure you out and realize you're not actually as smart and capable as they think you are! this can prevent you from negotiating contracts, asking for promotions, or applying for grants or positions that you think you probably wont get. of course women and men are equally capable, but the trouble is, you can never get something you don't apply/ask for, and the numbers show that men more often ask for promotions and apply for grants than women.

i recognize that it is my responsibility to speak up at meetings and make a vocal contribution of substance in order to be noticed, heard, acknowledged and appreciated, but i have to admit that it's almost always a challenge. when i attend a meeting or listen to a talk and a question or comment pops into my mind, inevitably my heart pounds loudly and i feel myself shaking a little from nerves over the prospect of speaking out to the group. you'd think after attaining a PhD, thinking about this astronomy stuff for so many years, and genuinely believing that i have ideas to offer the discussion, i would have gotten over these feelings, right? wrong. i still have to force myself to be brave and make the statement, to let my face turn beet red and risk sounding unknowledgeable or stupid.

i know i'm not the only one with these feelings and fears and the only way to help get over them is to be aware of them, admit them, talk about them, and have courage (i hope!)! that is part of what the workshop was about. almost 70 people showed up last friday, including several heads of university astronomy groups and the directors of observatories. considering there are only about 400 professional astronomers in australia, i thought the turn out was a great success! there were many female PhD students present, but the audience was noticeably lacking young male PhD students.

photo credit: bryan gaensler

unfortunately, i think the tendency for most people is to think "well, i'm not sexist (or racist, etc...) and i don't understand how anyone could openly express such discrimination, so i don't have anything to gain by attending such a workshop."

it's not enough just to believe that you do not practice these behaviours and then ignore the issues entirely, because  
we all have "unconscious biases" and many of your colleagues are systematically suffering because of them.   we need to be aware of these biases in order to change the current state of career progression and not lose female talent from continuing along the academic (or corporate or political) pipeline.


instead of going on about more potential problems that lead to the decreased number of women at the highest levels, i will refer you to the video below for some other issues, and move on to sharing some practical suggestions that came out of the workshop that can be implemented by institutions and individuals.

action points for institutions:

• appoint diverse committee members to select speakers for conferences and recipients of awards and jobs. our unconscious natural tendency is to want to work with people who are like ourselves. this is mostly ok, or at least understandable, but ever notice, for example, how invited speakers at conferences are almost always men despite the fact that attendees are much more gender balanced? of course there are fewer women who have reached the career stage to give invited talks, but we have to start recognizing and encouraging and exposing the women that are in the field. diversifying selection committees is one way of taking action towards this goal.

• supply childcare at professional meetings, especially national meetings, so that parents can also benefit from the community and the networking possibilities for themselves and their students. and since we all know that a lot of ideas and new collaborations happen at the pub and over dinner, offer a few evenings of childcare as well so parents can spend some time with contacts outside of the rigorous daily conference sessions.

• offer more flexible working arrangements and small grants to encourage mothers and fathers to return to work while dealing with all the unpredictable time frames of children. examples: if you are advertising a position and it is possible to hire someone at part time, mention that in the ad! monash university offers a populate and publish maternity leave grant (what a name!?!). offer an option to take unpaid holidays for school breaks, provide onsite childcare, support a child friendly work environment (and tell employees!).

• encourage employees at all levels to participate in organized mentoring programs. if there is no program in place, develop one.  dont make the mistake of assuming that "hard work and merit" are the only factors necessary for advancement for every individual. people also need encouragement and mentoring.

• in applications, ask for selected 5 years of publications, instead of just previous 5 years, to account for career breaks.

• institute a double blind academic journal refereeing system. (can someone explain to me why this isnt already in place? that's not the only problem with the academic journal racket though.)

• have open discussions about these issues inside your working groups!! encourage the acknowledgement of unconscious bias.

action points for individuals:

• speak up at meetings (be brave), network broadly, find mentors, set goals, know when to say no, apply for things!! do not let people assume that just because you do a task once that you will always be responsible for it, especially if it isnt gaining you any prestige or career benefit! dont fear that because you say no you wont be "liked." the point is not to be liked, but to be respected.

• goals should be specific, measurable, attractive to you, realistic, and time-framed (short- and long-term).

• find mentors!   seek senior members who can be active mentors (both men and women), or widespread university programs, and do this at every stage in your career!  recognize who in your department or institution is useful, successful, powerful, and/or influential and get to know them! seek their advice and mentorship.

• pay attention to words used when writing recommendation letters. (as a test, search through the adjectives you have written in a letter for a man and a letter for a woman. it was a telling exercise in unconscious bias for one speaker at the workshop) 

• use appropriate titles (Dr, Prof, etc...) consistently for all colleagues regardless of gender.

• surround yourself with happy (not miserable) people in your working environment.

• make sure your romantic partner is a real partner in every sense of the word.

• be self aware of personal biases

please share any other ideas in the comments and i'll update this list if possible.  for further reading, the american astronomical society provides a nice page of resources for all.


i'll leave you with yet another excellent TED talk by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on "Why we have too few women leaders." she articulates some of the above, but also brings up several other very interesting points, including why it's true that "success and likability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women."

UPDATE: if you're interested in this post, i recommend reading through the discussion happening inside the comments. i also encourage everyone to participate!

how not to "deal with it"

i read an interesting article by alice bell describing everyday sexual harassment in science, was surprised by how much it affected me, and then proceeded to vent much more than i expected to on twitter!  

so with this post i will tell a personal story of sexual harassment in my professional life, then offer tactics for how one might deal with such incidents, while giving a hint of how twitter conversations work. 

in the article, bell acknowledges the existence of a "hidden support" system for victims and potential targets of sexual harassment.  She describes "the threads of informal conversation where female academics share experiences or warn each other off" from working with particular individuals who are known to harass or bully.   

i initially responded on twitter with...

and when asked, 

i responded.  

i chose to work with this man during my first semester as a PhD student. once the collaboration began, i quickly recognized that i felt uncomfortable in his presence. his eyes wandered inappropriately. he made comments that i politely tried to ignore. and holy crap the creepy-as-possible winks!  i found myself covering myself with sweaters and scarves when going to meetings with him.

i discussed the situation with fellow PhD students.  they all acknowledged that his behaviour was not normal and said "i'm sorry. that sucks."  the students "supported" me, but no one suggested i (or we collectively) go to a higher authority about the issue.  

our unspoken belief was that his behaviour was SO OBVIOUS that the faculty must have known about it and this had all happened before.  it was up to me/us to figure out how to deal with it. 

the department head did not seem like a friendly fellow open to discussion, or even willing to remember my name for that matter. there were exactly THREE women in the department of 50 faculty and ALL those women were married to men in the department.  

the students felt like my only allies. i dealt. i avoided him.  it felt like what i was supposed to do.  i moved on with my studies.

was there a human resources (HR) representative i could/should have talked to?  i have no idea.   in the office setting of a normal business this would be the first option.  but in a university?  i wouldnt have known who to go to, even if i wasnt worried about being a brand new student up against the influential force of a senior faculty member, who i assumed was historically supported in his behaviours by other staff.  

do other university groups discuss practical steps for dealing with harassment?  i'm asking.

ten years later...

i'm surprised now by the emotion that has come out of me during the last couple months, after hearing the news of this asshole's "dismissal," and reflecting on what i put up with 10 years ago.  in addition to regular old imposter syndrome, i had to deal with all this crap when many of the other students simply did not.

of course sexual harassment is not limited to science, and i've experienced it in other situations in my life, but i found it most debilitating in my professional life, where i was trying as a naive junior person to gain credibility and respect for my work. 

reflecting on my lack of participation in the recent online discussion surrounding sexual harassment, i stated

 and i was reminded that:

thank you, niall.


so i asked twitter:

popular suggestions include naming and shaming the main problem characters and generally talking about harassment so it's a more visible and acknowledged issue.  many responses remind me that the issue transcends gender, as most people likely have such a shit-list of bullies, or know of people with the reputation for being harassers, bullies and/or misogynists.   so what do we do about it?

to individuals, i say:

• get a mentor, immediately.  preferably have one mentor, male or female, within the department that you work, and at least one other who is completely external.  NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE BENEFIT OF MENTORS!  they are your much-needed allies.

• sexual harassment is never ok and you do not deserve to deal with it.

• tell the person that he/she is making you feel uncomfortable.  this is not easy.  the person might not be aware of the effect of his/her behaviour and needs to hear.  in many cases, there is not one big thing identifiable as "oh, that's harassment!" but a culmination of little things over time that strip away confidence, perspective and happiness.

• if you will talk to someone about the situation and/or ask them to talk to the harasser, write down a list of incidents with dates and descriptions.  save email exchanges.  empower yourself with details. 

• find a higher level HR department of your university/institute where you can file a complaint, especially if you feel you have no allies in your group.   

• hire assassins.

but we have to be honest - it's not just the harassed and bullied who are going to change the global working atmosphere.   it will take all types of people participating in change and identifying even subtle behaviours in themselves and others.    so here are a few useful resources to read and share.

• what we teach men.   (this article is fantastic!  "The goal of understanding male-female relations in the workplace should not be to “stay out of trouble.” It should be to see each other as fully human, fully autonomous, and important collaborators and assets to do the work we’re assembled to do.")

• Don’t be that dude: Handy tips for the male academic.

i am working on some ideas to benefit the astronomy culture, but please tell me, what are your ideas?!? let's make improvements happen!


UPDATE: discussion this post has raised reminds me that we did try to go through internal department systems for filing complaints.  these efforts were continually thwarted by lack of specific evidence (i never experienced an single "incident" but there was an obvious pattern of inappropriate behaviour over many decades) or, more systematically, by staff members who were not willing to raise a fuss or who were purposely acting to protect this man from any repercussions for his actions.  this is an issue that needs discussion as well - how to deal with internal "protectors" who can ultimately become bullies against anyone that wants to speak up?  

early career researcher mentoring

recently, the australian astronomical community invested in holding a two day early career researcher mentoring workshop.   the workshop brought together a dozen of the most successful and influential astronomers based in australia to talk candidly to ~60 post-docs about:

1. Planning a Career
2. Building a Network
3. Writing a Successful Proposal
4. How to Effectively Hire and Managing People
5. How to Present Research to the Media
6. Time Management
7. Getting a Faculty Job
8. Work/Life Balance
9. Government and Science Policy
10. Leadership and Vision
11. What Every New Faculty Needs to Know

(L to R) Warrick Couch, Geraint Lewis, Brian Boyle, Karl Glazebrook, Rachel Webster, Bryan Gaensler, Kate Brooks, Sarah Madison, Helen Sim

i came away with loads of good information and enthusiasm, which i've needed in the build up to my next round of job applications. 

as anyone following the twitter #ECRmentor hashtag must have gathered, the participants of this workshop had a lot to say.   there will be official summaries of each session posted online in the coming weeks, which i'll be sure to point out when they are available. 

in the meantime, i'll highlight several points here, mostly in their twitter form, that will hopefully be useful for anyone wanting to move a career forward.   also, there are some links listed at the bottom.


CAREER

developing a "career" is a process of managing life, learning, leisure activities, and work.

managing a successful career requires self awareness, opportunity awareness, decision making, and implementation of those decisions!

to be any good, you have to know what good [science] is.  follow your passion, not the flavor of the month.

you need to make your mark - become a known expert in one or two specific areas, publish and talk about them! 

NETWORKING

 
to broaden networks: be visible! introduce yourself, send emails, ask questions at conferences, do talk tours, publish.

keep people informed, because your network, once established, can work for you behind the scenes.

beware the anti-network: disrespectful comments, drunken behaviour at conferences, childish online presence, unfavorable google results. 

networking and collaborations are important for research, learning, creating new opportunities, supporting career breaks!

at conference, wear your name tag.  wear name tag high on the right so people can easily read it while you shake hands. 

good mentors aren't just more experienced than you.  they can see more talent & ability in you than you see in yourself.

(read more about overcoming the imposter syndrome and recognizing unconscious bias: HERE )

the advantage of this workshop was that it put us early career researchers in a very good position to talk face-to-face with senior members of the community.   creating that opportunity is always a networking challenge. 



PRODUCTIVITY

key is to work efficiently and effectively when working.  recognize when you are most productive and take advantage. 

set manageable goals.

learn when to say no. recognize what is important. prioritize. stop making excuses - just shut up, sit down, and do it! 

do not agonize too heavily over the last 5% of a paper - get it out and published and move on/forward!

Understand your calendar for the next month and pace yourself accordingly. Stay sane!

when you call a meeting - end it ON TIME no matter what.

measure your work by achievements and not clock hours.


--------------------

day two of the workshop started with an early morning run - in the rain.  i was surprised that so many people were willing!

Photo Credit: Kate Brooks

JOBS and INTERVIEWS

Job ad: “Applicants are encouraged to contact Prof X for more info” is code for “You must contact Prof X if you’re serious”

always write a cover letter when applying for a job, even if not requested. avoid personal info, but show personality.

when scheduling a job interview, ask who will be on the panel.

rehearse answers for typical questions:  achievement you are proud of?  a weakness?  how do you deal with stressful situations? give specific examples!   also, highlight special skills you bring.

know about the organization (at least look at their website before the interview!).  prepare questions to ask them!  deflect personal questions.

science phd skills for any job: modelling, problem-solving, managing large datasets, presenting, advanced computing, writing, teaching 

people remember a good talk and insightful plots. they also remember awful talks. practice talks and spend time on slides. 

(there was a lot of discussion about CV and job application specifics.   hopefully the summary will shed light on these details, or ask in the comments and i'll elaborate...)


WORK/LIFE BALANCE

we have to be responsible for setting the boundaries we want in our lives, or someone else will do it for us. 

what are the characteristics of a good job?  reasonable hours, satisfaction and fulfillment, control over situations, flexibility... you choose.  

in my experience, no place i've ever worked in the world has acknowledged the existence of a work/life balance as openly as in australia.  friends from within academia and especially outside of it talk about maintaining a work/life balance with pride, and i have found it absolutely refreshing since i've been working and living here!  in fact, it has helped me work more efficiently and effectively. 

annual performance and development goals should include work/life components.

don’t plan your career, plan your life. don’t separate, integrate. 

surviving career breaks: have mentors, students, support networks, solid collaborations, be on committees.

LEADERSHIP

Everyone needs to be a leader in some context.

leadership is a skill and something you can get better at with practice. 

leadership traits: vision, decisiveness, delegation, courage, reliability, commitment, creativity, determination, etc...

the best leaders delegate responsibility to others and trust them to carry out their tasks.

"Diplomacy is the art of letting other people have your own way" - Brian Boyle

as a manager: be a role model, set reasonable goals, acknowledge achievements, motivate, assign responsibility, maintain future vision

TAKE AWAY MESSAGES

get mentors, network, think big, plan, take control of work/life balance, have fun, and use spell check! 

find an opportunity, engage your strengths and vision, and try!

you never know what can come from just asking.  rules can be changed.  challenge them!  but recognize that there is always a level in an organization where the rules can be changed. Too low, they have no power; too high, shouldn't be bothered. 

BLAST SESSIONS

another very interesting aspect of this workshop were the 15 minute "blasts" held between the official sessions.  during a blast session, one senior person stood up and informally told us something they learned in their career that they thought especially important to share. 

many used the time to tell their "career story," and it became obvious very quickly that there is no simple solution to the mystery of having a successful career.  people have partners who might have careers of their own, there is no "best time" to have kids, luck plays a role, accidents happen, health issues are inevitable, travel can be a huge burden, it's hard to relocate every few years, and on and on. 

it was also acknowledged that not all of the early career researchers in that room would land another job in research astronomy, and it wasn't forgotten that the people not in the room, who had chosen a different path for their career for any number of reasons, far outnumbered those in attendance. 

at one point, after listening to the panel members discuss the array of difficult measures they've taken to manage all the requirements of having a permanent faculty position, one participant asked "so why do we want to have your jobs when they are so competitive and difficult to handle once achieved?"  the comment got laughs from the crown, but it made a good point.

the panel members described the satisfaction of progressing long-term, large-scale projects, developing new technologies and techniques, leading large research teams, training new generations of scientists, broadening research interests, feeling satisfaction in accomplishments, meeting new and different challenges.  fulfillment, despite or because of difficult decisions.


contributing to our understanding of how the universe works, and sharing the knowledge with others - sounds like job satisfaction to me!  so, i'll keep working to make it happen, and i think this experience has definitely helped my chances.

finally, a quick shout out to the sponsors of the event:  Astronomical Society of Australia, Australian National University, CSIRO, Swinburne University, CAASTRO, ICRAR, AAO.

and of course, a big thank you to darren croton for initiating and organizing the whole thing!

LINKS

OmniFocus for mac - organization tool
toodledo - to do list manager
arxivsorter - to help keep up with literature
twitterdoc - document twitter events
astrobetter - tips and tricks for professional astronomers