The GYA Women in Science Group conducted a survey in 2021 among GYA members on discrimination and harassment at their workplace, led by GYA member Jonas Radl (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain) and GYA alumna Shaheen Motala-Timol (Tertiary Education Commission, Mauritius). Prompted by the “Me too” movement, during the 2018 AGM in Thailand the GYA Women in Science Working Group began discussing plans to develop a survey about the harassment of women in academia. In the end, the questionnaire was directed not only at women but also men and non-binary members.
First, the survey asked GYA members about workplace policies, e.g. about the share of women working at their respective workplaces and about formal gender equality policies. Members were then asked about workplace culture (e.g. whether they felt like they had to provide more evidence of competence than other colleagues in the same position). Finally, the survey examined data about discrimination and harassment. For instance, members were asked whether they felt discriminated based on their gender.
The results show a high degree of heterogeneity in the workplace settings of GYA members and alumni when it comes to diversity and respective policies. The majority of respondents perceives equal pay for men and women in the same positions. Nevertheless, female scientists often find themselves in vulnerable positions and see their professional judgement being questioned more often. Furthermore, confirming prior expectations, women were much more likely than men to report discrimination based on their gender.
The key findings are presented in an article published in the magazine GYA Connections: Read them here (from page 20).
Respondents to the survey could take part in a prize draw, containing funding from the GYA. Congratulations to the three winners, GYA members Siok Yee Chan (Universiti Sains, Malaysia), Fatemeh Mohammadipanah (University of Tehran, Iran), and Paulina Carmona Mora (University of California-Davis, USA)! They each get a 500 EUR voucher, to be used during 2023, to either part-cover travel to the GYA in-person AGM in June 2023, sponsor open-access publication fees (conditional on including GYA funding acknowledgment), or to cover registration fees for academic (online) events that have some connection to the GYA, or present a speaking opportunity on behalf of the GYA.