In the News

As part of Radio 4's Big Bang Day, Woman's Hour featured interviews looking at what switches women on to science. (September 2008)

Vitae, a new organisation to champion the professional and career development of researchers, was launched on 25th June by Ian Pearson MP. Vitae's vision is for the UK to be world-class in supporting the professional development of researchers and research careers. Vitae aims to do this through:

• Championing the development of effective policy.
• Enhancing higher eduction provision through sharing practice and resources.
• Providing access to development opportunities and resources.
• Building an evidence base to support the researcher development agenda.

The BCS IT Industry Awards highlight the extent to which IT fundamentally impacts businesses and society. They mark the contribution made by the IT profession to economic prosperity, business efficiency and to our public services. Closing date noon 1st August. (June 08)

Nominations are now open for the 2009 UKRC Women of Outstanding Achievement in SET Photographic Exhibition. Visit the UKRC website for more details about the award and email info@ukrc4setwomen.org.uk for a nomination form. Closing date for entries is 19th September 2008. (June 08)

Nominations for the European Molecular Biology Association and Federation of European Biochemical Societies Woman in Science Award are open. The aim of this award is to highlight the major contributions being made by female scientists to European Research. The winner will receive 10,000 EUR and present a plenary lecture at the FEBS congress. Deadline 1st September 2008. (June 08)

The deadline for applications to join the European Space Agency Astronaut Programme has been extended - just incase any of you haven't applied yet!
Visit ESA for more information. Sorry, too late - now closed!! (June 08)

Speaker registration for the 2008 Women in Games Conference has been extended until 23rd June (and it's about computer gaming and not sport!). The conference will be held at The University of Warwick from 10-12th September. (June 2008)

Motherhood, the Elephant in the Laboratory edited by Emily Monosson is a collection of personal essays from women balancing a science career and family. The book review by Alison George in the 7th June issue of New Scientist says the book provides a "fascinating insight into a world too often kept hidden. ... For some it may prove a powerful contraceptive." Emily Monosson, Cornell Press, $25, ISBN 9780801446641. (June 2008)

Entries are now open for the 2008 The Times/Aurora Where Women Want To Work TOP 50. Organisations with more than 1000 employees are eligible to apply. The best 50 companies for 2006 and 2007 are also listed on the site. (June 2008)

New Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers published. See our Cambridge AWiSE response to the consultation on our Reports page. (May 2008)

Applications for the 2009 UNESCO-L'Oreal International Fellowships for Young Women in Life Sciences are now open. The international Fellowships are awarded to 15 young women researchers in the life sciences at doctoral or postdoctoral level, whose promising projects have been accepted by a reputable institution outside of their home country. The Fellowships, worth up to $40,000 for a period of up to two years, are awarded to three Fellows from each of the following five regions: Africa; Arab States; Asia & the Pacific; Europe & North America; and Latin America & the Caribbean. The application form at: www.forwomeninscience.com. Closing 30 June 2008. (May 2008).

11th March saw the launch of the UKRC Women of Outstanding Achievement Photograhic Exhibition for 2008! This exhibition profiles leading women in SET - a sector in which only 18.5% of employees are female, with the aim of inspiring other women to take part and progress in a career within SET. We at Cambridge AWiSE have also launched our own Women in SET photodisplay, we hope you find this as inspirational. If you would like to add your story, please contact us! (April 2008)

Special membership offer! The Institute of Biology is offering all Cambridge AWISE members the chance to join their membership scheme at a special rate. If you join before the end of September, you will get two years’ membership for the price of one. Wherever you are in your career as a biologist the Institute can help you. Membership benefits include their prestigious journal ‘Biologist’, discounts on events, courses and publications, and networking opportunities. Joining IoB is also the only way to apply for ‘Chartered Biologist’ (CBiol) status, which recognises high professional levels of expertise, and is highly valued both in industry and the academic world. To take advantage of this special offer, call the IoB’s membership team on 020 7936 5942, or email membership@iob.org and quote ‘AWISE’. (April 2008)

Why do women in SET need feminism? Alison Phipps, Director of Gender Studies at Sussex University, argues that, in order to achieve gender equality in SET fields, it is necessary for activists to employ a critical and radical perspective. Currently, the dominant framework appears to be a ‘business case’ approach in which women’s participation in SET is described as essential for the good of the economy. Although activists have used this rhetoric wisely in order to tap into government and European funding, it does not provide an explanation for women’s under-representation in SET or a programme for delivering gender equality. In contrast, the body of knowledge around gender and SET developed by feminists since the 1970s could help activists a great deal in the creation of initiatives. This article was previously published in the April 2008 issue of The Biochemist, the magazine of the Biochemical Society. Read the full article here. (April 2008).

New analysis of data from the Office of National Statistics shows that women in their 40's working full time earn, on average, 20.3% less than men. Fay Schlesinger in the Guardian 15th April reports that this "motherhood penalty" starts to appear ~10 years after women start work. The smallest pay gap was for professional occupations at 3.8%, rising to 23% for managers and 25.4% for women working in skilled trade jobs. (April 2008)

Do you look like this? Didn't think so!! Many people, do however, hold stereotypical images of scientists, engineers and technologists. Scientists have mad hair, wear white lab coats and create bubbling potions; Engineers have oil under their fingernails, carry a spanner and fix things; Technologists are thin and nerdy and can only interact with computers. And they are all white men. Many scientists, engineers and technologists don't, of course, fit these descriptions!! As part of National Science Week, Cambridge Science Festival very kindly sponsored us to produce a photodisplay of Women in SET. Our posters show women from different SET disciplines and from all different career stages but they have one thing in common: an excitement and passion for SET. We hope that these posters help breakdown the stereotypes and encourage more women and young girls consider a career in SET. We'd love more of you to be part of this. If you'd like to help make this an even bigger and better resource, please contact us. (April 2008)

A huge thank you to everyone who helped out at our stall at this year's Cambridge Science Festival. Our location in the cafe proved a great success, with visits from Carol Vorderman and the Vice Chancellor Prof. Alison Richard. Both were really interested in what Cambridge AWiSE are doing to support women in SET. The Vice Chancellor was the winner of our potato stabbing competition, forcing a straw all the way through! Lucy and Tennie. (March 08).

Registration is now open for the Diamond Jubilee Conference on Integrated Mechanisms of Cellular Identity and Homeostasis at the Babraham Institute. This meeting will bring together international leaders in development and signalling to explore epigenetic mechanisms in development and cellular responses to the environment. Early bird registration closes on 28th April. For more details visit the Conference Website. (April 2008)

Research shows a third of mothers slip down the career ladder to balance work and family. Lucy Ward in the Guardian 27th February reports on research by Mary Gregory and Sara Connolly which shows that, although there are encouraging trends for women's advancement, women who wish to work part time after child birth face a significant reduction in career status.

National Science and Engineering Week (7-16 March) is an opportunity for people of all ages, areas and organisations to take part in science, engineering and technology activities. See the British Association for information on events around the country. There is an online search facility which includes information on our Cambridge AWiSE event 'Creativity and Innovation' on the 11th March at Lucy Cavendish College. (Feb. 2008)

Cambridge Science Festival runs from 10-20 March. Science on Saturday will take place on the 15th when the whole city will be full of great events. Cambridge AWiSE will be present, with a photodisplay of women in SET and lots of fun experiments (I've recently successfully skewered a balloon with a kebab stick and can now play a mean tune on a straw). If you are about at the Festival, please come and say hello! (Feb. 2008).

Application for the 2008 L'Oreal UK and Ireland Fellowships for Women in Science are now open. Four Fellowships each worth £15,000 will be awarded to outstanding women scientists in the early stages of their career to enable and/or facilitate promising scientific research. The Fellowships can be held at any UK or Irish University or Research Institute to support a 12-month period of post-doc research in any area of the life or physical sciences. The closing date for applications is 2nd April 2008. (Feb. 2008).

The Open University and the UKRC have developed a new course to support women wishing to return to a SET Career. The T161: Return to Science, Engineering and Technology course is a 10 week online course to help returners realise their ambitions to return to SET. Through web-based activities and online discussions, students analyse previous experiences and skills, identify new employment opportunities, develop skills, increase their confidence and learn from role models and mentors. The UKRC Return Campaign is offering a limited number of bursaries. The first course starts in May, applications for bursaries must be in by 28th March 2008. (Feb. 2008).

Trinity College Science Society has some interesting talks this term. Georgina Ferry on 'Lives in Science' on the 28th January and Prof. Simon Baren-Cohen on 'The trouble with testosterone: a view of autism and sex differences' on 12th February. More details. (Jan. 2008).

Google has recently won the British Computer Society 'Women in IT' award. This was given in recognition of the work Google are doing to enhance the opportunities for women in IT. The awards produced a record number of women winners and medalists with 10 of the 21 individual excellent awards going to women. David Clarke, Chief Executive of the BCS, hoped that this helped reinforce the message that IT is a profession where women can and do succeed. (Dec. 2007).

Cambridge AWiSE has been accepted as an Associate Member of the European Platform of Women Scientists (EPWS). EPWS is based in Brussels and supports the work of a whole range of existing national, european and international networks of women scientists. The platform aims to make women scientists better understand the role they can play in the research policy debate. (Oct. 2007).

EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organisation have recently published a study on the influence of gender on selection processes and career development. Their report shows that, on average, women's careers do not progress at the same rate as their male counterparts. The major reason being that women allow their careeers to take second place behind their male partners. Read the full report here.

The Fawcett Society have declared 30th October Women's No Pay Day. The 17% average pay gap between men and women, means that while men are paid all year, women work effectively for free from 30th October. Visit the Fawcett Society for more infomation and how to have your say.

Resignation rates for female managers are at their highest since 2002. Even though women are more likely to be promoted than men, pay rises have stalled for the first time in more than a decade and the disparity in male and female pay remains. These findings are released by the Chartered Management Institute.

Equal pay for women is achievable so says Anne Wright and colleagues at the University of Arizona's College of Medicine in the 18 October issue of Nature. Their research shows that aggressive academic management can correct pay disparities between male and female scientists.

Stuck below the Glass Ceiling? In Gordon Brown’s first speech to the Labour Conference as Prime Minister, he asked “How many women still come up against a glass ceiling that blocks their advance?” He went on to say “I want a Britain where there is no longer any ceiling on where your talents and hard work can take you”. We look forward to seeing the measures he plans to help women succeed. Read the full transcript.

Jobshare UK launched on the 17th September with the aim of offering quality flexible working and job share opportunities across the SET sectors.

MRC Special Training Fellowships in Biomedical Informatics are available to support specialist multidisciplinary training so that researchers are able to take forward new developments in the fields of bioinformatics, neuroinformatics, health informatics and computational biology. The MRC tries to operate this scheme as flexibly as possible. As part of the MRC's Equal Opportunities policy, consideration will be given to applicants who are returning to science following a career break. There are no age limits and all fellowships may be held part-time to fit in with domestic responsibilities. Closing date 26th October 2007.

In 2006, the US Academies report Beyond Bias and Barriers was published. The report examined why women scientists and engineers are underrepresented in leadership positions in academic institutions. This September, Nature Magazine ran an editorial on this, dispelling a few of the commonly held beliefs why women are not represented at higher levels of academia.

If you've worked your way to the top in a University maths, physics or engineering department, you're unlikely to be a woman. The first program in the BBC Radio 4 series "Science Friction" debates why this is the case. You can listen to the programme on the BBC website.

National Network for Women in SET? The results of a survey conducted to test the demand for a national network for women in SET have now been published. To read the results visit the SETWomen website.

We are very sad to report that Dame Anne McLaren has been killed in a car crash. Anne was a distinguished scientist working in reproductive biology, developmental biology and genetics. She was also an advocate for women in science. She had three children and understood the difficulties of combining family life and a scientific career. Together with Joan Mason, she was a driving force in setting up AWiSE, served as its President for many years and remained a stalwart supporter of Cambridge AWiSE up to her death. She will be greatly missed. Her full obituary can be read here.

Matthew Symonds, in his essay Why women lose out in the lab published in the 7th July issue of New Scientist (vol 2611), believes that the under representation of women at senior academic positions is probably connected to the disparity between the rate at which men and women publish scientific papers. He also notes that the difference in productivity happens really early in their careers, probably before most scientists have their families. The full version of this report is available in the magazine and to online subscribers.

Closing the Gender Gap In the European Year of Equal Opportunities for all, women still remain under-represented in science, particularly at higher levels. Magdalene Wutte, writing in the 5th July issue of Nature (vol 448), looks at how institutions, networks and women can help correct the imbalance. In the same issue, Beyond the Glass Ceiling by Kendall Powell, looks at the implicit bias that women and minorities face in the upper ranks of academia in the United States.

Administration of Additional Paternity Leave and Pay – A Consultation. Additional Paternity Leave and Pay will enable employed fathers to take up to 26 weeks Additional Paternity Leave, some of which can be paid if the mother of the child has returned to work. This new provision will be available during the second six months of the child’s life, providing parents with more choice in child care responsibilities and for the first time ever, the option of dividing a period of paid leave entitlement between them. If you would like to comment, please visit the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform website. The closing date for comments is 3rd August 2007.

On 26th June, women involved in SET enterprise in the East of England will be broadcast on SETWomen in a series of nine podcasts. The series includes discussions with women on the transition from employment to enterprise, women innovators in academia and industry, why women choose SET enterpreneurship and more. The podcasts are sponsored by EEDA and the Business Consultancy YTKO.

A recent report 'Hours to Suit' by the campaign group Working Families shows a strong business case for allowing flexible working. The report looks at women working in City Banks, Law firms and in senior managerial roles and shows that flexible working is a "win-win that boosts retention, recruitment, enthusiasm, loyalty and effectiveness".

'On track for a new battle of the sexes', by Melanie Newman (25th May 2007, Times Higher Education Supplement) discusses research by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen of Cambridge University. Prof. Baron-Cohen believes that "People with the male brain - and strong systemising skills - make the most excellent scientists". Jenny Koenig of Cambridge AWiSE said: "Good and successful scientists need to be able to do alot more than systemise. Scientists need to be creative, show perseverance, work well in a team, be able to understand other points of view, think laterally and communicate well." Wendy Faulkner of Edinburgh University says: "the labels male/female brains enter consciousness and such stereotypes are the basis of inequality". The report concludes that there is no evidence that biological differences accounted for under representation of women academics in science and mathematics but that most men and women carry predjudices of which they are unaware but which influence their evaluations of other people and their work.

The recommendations of the Women and Work Commission have recently been published in a report 'Towards a Fairer Future'. The report addresses the causes of the gender pay gap, outlines initiatives aimed at helping people better balance work and family life and looks at how to encourage women to become entrepreneurs. Read the report here.

If you missed Professor Wendy Hall's Cambridge University Women in Science, Engineering and Technology Initiatve, WiSETI, lecture 'Towards a Science of the Web: The power of networks' on 2nd May 2007 or would like to hear it again, an audio recording is available here.

Female academics at new universities get a fairer pay deal than those in old ones writes Rebecca Attwood in the 11th May 2007 issue of the Times Higher Education Supplement. The gender pay gap at Russell Group Universities averaged 18.6% compared to 6.2% at Campaigning for Modern Universities Institutions.

Call your daughter Alex if you want her to study maths or physics after the age of 16! So says Prof. David Figlio of the University of Florida (The Observer, 29/04/07).
Prof. Figlio says "girls with feminine names were often typecast ... and may feel more pressure to avoid technical subjects". This study will be published in the Journal of Human Resources shortly.

From Part-time to Professor ... A success story. Professor Margaret Rayman is an inspiration for women who have taken time out of their career to have a family, care for a relative or relocate with a partner and would like to return to that fulfilling career. After taking a lengthy career break to bring up her two children, she returned to research on a Daphne Jackson Fellowship. Now, 13 years after this fellowship, Margaret Rayman has been awarded a Personal Chair in Nutritional Medicine at the University of Surrey. She says "I am delighted that I am now a Professor and I hope that I have demonstated that it is possible for women, even after a long break, to return to their careers and be successful. The Daphne Jackson Trust gave me that all important first step back on to the ladder of success and I would wholeheartedly recommend a fellowship to anyone who is thinking of returning to a scientific career".

Tennie Videler found an interesting letter in the April 19th issue of Nature (v446) from Pamela Silver asking "Why do so few women speak at science meetings?" If you have strong views on this email Nature!

Some of you may be aware that the national Association for Women in Science and Engineering has been in a period of dormancy for some time. Should this network be revived? Several women, from a variety of organisations have been funded by the UK Resource Centre for women in SET to investigate the need for such a network. Please complete a short survey and let them know your views. Would a national network be useful? If so what should its main objectives and functions be? They plan to hold a meeting for interested parties to to discuss the results of the survey and more information will follow on this.

Breaking Barriers is a research program which is gathering data on career progression and gender discrimination to identify the barriers and drivers to women's learning, progression and development. If you're a mid-career woman in the bio/health and care sectors and would like to contribute, visit the University of Liverpool website.
Jan Bogg, Director of the Breaking Barriers Project at Liverpool University, has written an article in Nature (vol 447, May 2007) looking the under representation of women in SET and the measures employers could put in place to help women progress. Read it here.

We’re sorry to report that Professor Karen Sparck Jones, a member of Cambridge AWiSE since its inception, died on the 4th April aged 71. Professor Sparck Jones was Emeritus Professor of Computing and Information at Cambridge University and one of the most remarkable women in computer science. Her slogan was “Computing is too important to be left to men.” She believed that "women bring a different perspective to computing, they are more thoughtful and less inclined to go straight for technical fixes. My belief is that intellectually, computer science is fascinating - you're trying to make things that don't exist." Her full obituary can be read here.

HSBC Very Early Career Women Physicist of the Year Awards. Cambridge University final year Ph.D. Student, Andrea Ma, has been announced as a runner up for this award. These awards, made by the Women in Physics Group of the Institute of Physics and HSBC publicise the success of young women physicists and show others how their careers could develop. Andrea's research is in the area of Quantum Monte Carlo techniques. She uses these to calculate the properties of materials, including diamonds as well as developing technical improvements to the method. The winner was Liz Ainsbury. Her Ph.D. looked at whether there is a link between extremely low frequency magnetic fields such as those produced by power lines and childhood leukemia.

The Gender Equality Duty comes into force on 6th April 2007. All public bodies in England, Scotland and Wales must demonstrate that they are promoting equality for women and men and eliminating sexual discrimination and harassment. For more information, visit the Equal Opportunities Commission Website.

New provisions for Maternity leave come into force on 1st April 2007 as part of the 2006 Work and Families Act. Women with babies due after 1st April 2007 will now be entitled to 9 months paid maternity leave and three months unpaid. For more information on maternity rights, see the Equal Opportunities Commission website. The 2006 Work and Families Act also extends the right to request flexible working to carers of adults. In addition, the Government has guaranteed that by the end of 2009, every women will be given the right to choose where they give birth.

Why do women remain curiosuly absent for the ranks of academia? Mary Anne Holmes and Suzanne O'Connell write in the March 15th issue of Nature (v446). Policy makers have addressed some ways to get more women on to the lower rungs of the ladder, but solutions at the higher steps - tenure and beyond - are proving a little more difficult. Read more .... In the same issue, Lutz Bornmann looks at gender bias in academic grant applications. When it comes to applying for grants, women seem to be at a disadvantage - they are less likely to succeed than their male counterparts. Read more ....

Finest females still making a mark. We're not equal yet. So say Cambridge's finest female athletes, writers and scientists on International Womens's Day, 8th March 2007. Dr. Jennifer Koenig, a fellow of Lucy Cavendish College and director of studies in Pharmacology at St John's College, says there are still plenty of inequalities in the scientific community. As chair of Cambridge AWiSE. an organisation to promote women in science, she works hard to find practical solutions. Read more ...

On the 8th March 2007 the portraits for the 2007 Women of Outstanding Achievement in SET Exhibition were unveiled at a ceremony at the Science Museum. This exciting collection of portraits is both a celebration and tribute to the collective and individual contribution that women are making to science, engineering and technology. With just 24.1% of employees in SET professions being women, the UKRC is constantly seeking new ways to make women in SET more visible as role models and inspiration to others. Cambridge AWiSE Steering Group member, Tennie Videler, successfully nominated her supervisor, Prof. Carol Robinson of the University of Cambridge. To see her photograph and those of the other Outstanding Women, visit the UKRC website.

The Equalities Review commissioned by Tony Blair and chaired by Trevor Philips has highlighted that women with young children face the greatest employment inequality. Jenny Watson chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission says "Our own work has shown that achieving equality for women at work is far from done, and it's good to have this recognised in the Equalities Review. But today, 3 in 4 people say it should be as easy for men to take time off for caring responsibilities as women, indicating the challenge of balancing work and family isn't only an issue that affects women. If we are to make these recommendations fit the future, part of the solution must be extending the right to request flexible work to everyone. Only then can we cope with the social revolution we are living through, with far more women at work, far more fathers wanting to spend more time with their children and far more of us caring for older relatives. Forward looking businesses already do this, and they see the positive impact it has on their staff -- and their bottom line."

Women publish fewer papers than men but they have higher impact!
Research by Matthew Symonds et al. in the 27th December 2006 issue of the journal PLoS One shows that women's papers are cited 20% more than men! Symonds says "One explanation is that female researchers produce fewer but higher quality publications".

Women's Business Mapped! The Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership has produced a report on mapping the support for future female entrepreneurs and women returners in the Greater Cambridgeshire Region. Walter Herriot, author of the report, said "There is a real and urgent requirement to create better awareness of support available to women and specifically to stimulate greater involvement by highly qualified women in making the most of the opportunities available to them".

Equal Measures: Investigating University Science Pay and Opportunites for Success. Sara Connolly, UEA, Norwich. Sara has recieved funding from ESRC to look at factors influencing pay and career sucess. Early investigations show that, despite improvements in recruiting practices and greater awareness by managers of diversity and equality, inequalities in pay and opportunities for success remain. Read the briefing here.

Women in Science - Irena Dingley of BBC Cambridgeshire talks to Jenny Koenig
Both boys and girls will enjoy the Cambridge Science Festival this year, but there's still a big gender gap when it comes to careers in science and engineering. Jenny Koenig of AWiSE tells us about the difficulties women face and what can be done. Read more ...