Women in Science, Engineering and Technology

Initiative(WiSETI)

Dr Esther HainesDr Alison Maguire

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Points

• Unconscious Bias

• SWAN Charter

• Springboard

• Fixed Term Working

Recruitment and Retention

•Positive action •“Head hunting”•Seminars•Website•SWAN charter pilot•Unconscious Bias conference•Workshops

Project Evaluation

Which areas should be given greatest priority (1= high priority, 5 = low priority)?

Average score Recruitment at lecturer level 1.5 Promotion/retention at lecturer level and beyond 2.5 Recruitment at postdoc level 3.2 Retention at postdoc level 3.3

What centrally provided support would best assist your department’s efforts to attract and retain women?

1. Advice on career breaks/flexible working2. Sharing best practice3. Facilitating mentoring4. Facilitating networking5. Advice on career progression

Workshops

3 half-day workshops:

Responding to Merit:

Performing to Potential

Workshop objectives

1. To consider the current equality situation in departments

2. To consider issues which might underlie a lack of equality

3. To consider measures which will remove unconscious barriers to establishing equality

4. To consider strategies to encourage minority groups or under-represented groups to apply for “mainstream” jobs and promotion

9.30 Introduction 9.45 Objectives and format 9.50 Gender equality in the University and departments 10.00 Key areas in equality 10.05 Small group exercise 10.50 Coffee 11.05 Reasons for lack of equality 11.15 Personal experiences What can we do to achieve equality? 12.00 Talk from University’s Recruitment Policy Officer 12.20 Closing remarks 12.30 Lunch

Responding to merit: Performing to Potential

Participant feedback

PositiveUnderstanding of unconscious bias

Small group exercise

NegativeNo definitive solutions to solve the under-

representation of women in SET

Evaluation bias

Lowered success rates

Performance is underestimated

From the University of Michigan, NSF Advance Project

Accumulation of disadvantage

Lack of critical mass

Gender Schemas

Small group exercise

Recruitment Retention Promotion

•Advert wording, design•Positive action•Selection panels•Advertise benefits, flexibility etc•Wording of references•Evaluation of CVs•Encourage applications•Practice and sell Department/University as employer of choice

•Flexibility•Seminar speakers•Appraisal, feedback•Mentors•Networks

•Information•Support

How can we achieve equality?

Acknowledge there is inequalityAcknowledge gender schemas exist

Participants’ action

• Review wording of advertisements and further particulars

• Encourage all involved in recruitment to attend course on recruitment and selection

• Ensure advertisements are formulated positively to encourage women to apply

Critical Mass

Research shows that the proportion of women in a group affects how

they are evaluated: women who are in a small minority are evaluated

more negatively.

‘…mountains are molehills, piled one on top of the other.’

Valian, 1998

Accumulation of disadvantage

Evaluation of CVs

• Identical CVs sent to academic psychologists

• Some with male names, others with female names.

• Both men and women more likely to vote for male candidate.

Gender Schemas

• Implicit hypotheses about sex differences

• Held by both men and women

• Cognitive necessity for making sense of the social world - they may contain errors but they are indispensable.

• Can lead to lower expectations for women