“Just for a week I’d replace every man on a senior university committee with a woman. There still aren’t enough women in key roles; and one reason is that women are far less likely to get the sort of exposure needed to understand what these roles require or that they actually possess the talent to take them on. Alice Eagly argues that women find it more difficult to navigate the leadership labyrinth because they lack access to the type of insider knowledge and advice that aids their male colleagues. For this reason I’d also implement an annual “shadow week“ where junior faculty from under-represented groups get an opportunity to shadow a senior university figure. It really is time to level the playing field.”—Jo Silvester, Professor of Psychology at Cass Business School, City University, in the Financial Times
“A study of companies listed on the FTSE 350 index published in the Economic Journal found there was a 20% chance of an employer appointing a woman if another woman left its board. This likelihood fell to 10% when a man had held the post.”—HR Magazine
“When we focus on helping individuals get on in science and engineering, we help maintain a system that is often the main problem. There is little to be gained in helping a few people climb career ladders set on unstable ground. Such projects may empower women and do a lot of good, but they miss the bigger picture and the possibility for more visionary change.
Courses to help women in science to speak up? No, others need courses in how to shut up. If women and science don’t connect, it’s probably a sign that the latter needs to change.”—Ex-academic and freelance science policy researcher & writer Alice Bell in Research
