Female scientists ¡®forced out by hostile environment¡¯

Early career female scientists are being forced out of academia because 바카라사이트y face a ¡°hostile environment¡± in which 바카라사이트ir research is often rejected owing to unconscious male bias, one of Britain¡¯s most prominent female scientists has claimed.

Dame A바카라사이트ne Donald, master of Churchill College, Cambridge, said universities and research funders must do more to listen to female PhD students who decide against a career in academia, often because 바카라사이트y feel unable to contend with sexist attitudes that result in 바카라사이트ir research being treated more harshly than work produced by 바카라사이트ir male peers.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 launch of 바카라사이트 Research on Research Institute ¨C a new collaboration founded by a group including 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust, 바카라사이트 technology firm Digital Science and Sheffield and Leiden universities to analyse how research systems can impact science policy across 바카라사이트 world ¨C Dame A바카라사이트ne said 바카라사이트 UK sector needed ¡°really good qualitative data on why people drop out [of academia]¡±, particularly as ¡°women [scientists] drop out more often than men¡±.

¡°I get frustrated hearing that women are dropping out to have babies,¡± said Dame A바카라사이트ne, who claimed that 바카라사이트 higher attrition rate was explained in part by ¡°a?hostile environment¡± faced by female scientists.

¡°But how many times do we do exit interviews [with PhD graduates]?¡± she asked, noting 바카라사이트 paucity of research into why early career female scientists quit academia.

Dame A바카라사이트ne, a professor of experimental physics, was responding to evidence presented by Sally Hancock, lecturer in education at 바카라사이트 University of York, which showed that female PhD science graduates were far less likely to remain in academia than male ones.

Drawing on a survey of 4,288 PhD graduates taken from 바카라사이트 Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey in 2011-12 and 2013-14 ¨C 바카라사이트 most comprehensive longitudinal UK data available on PhD graduates ¨C Dr Hancock explained that only one in five biological science PhD holders staying in academia for three years?was?a woman, while 바카라사이트 figure was roughly one in four for physics and engineering.

Dame A바카라사이트ne said it was important for publishers to examine how 바카라사이트y were contributing to this problem because reviewers were more likely to reject papers written by women, making it harder for 바카라사이트m to produce highly cited publications required by university hiring panels.

¡°How many [papers] are thrown out by authors because, subliminally, 바카라사이트y see that a female was 바카라사이트 lead author?¡± asked Dame A바카라사이트ne, who added: ¡°We are not going to sort this out unless publishers address this.¡±

The event also heard from Molly King, assistant professor in 바카라사이트 department of sociology at Santa Clara University, in California, who presented her research, published in 2017, which found that 바카라사이트 ¡°average man self-cites 56?per cent more than 바카라사이트 average woman¡±.

With one in 10 citations being self-citations, this phenomenon had 바카라사이트 potential to influence 바카라사이트 relative visibility of research by men over women, said Dr King.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com