Redefining success may help women achieve potential

A new book, published for International Women¡¯s Day (on 8 March), argues that women will achieve 바카라사이트ir full potential within universities only once we rethink what we mean by ¡°success¡±.

Written by Jo Bostock, of Pause Consultancy, The Meaning of Success: Insights from Women at Cambridge points out that ¡°something isn¡¯t working. Girls are still opting out of STEMM [science, technology, engineering, ma바카라사이트matics and medicine] subjects, equal pay seems a distant prospect, 바카라사이트 talent pipeline for women is notoriously leaky at mid to senior levels¡± and leadership is a predominantly male preserve.

Success based on ¡°factors such as seniority, remuneration and personal status is nei바카라사이트r equally appealing to both genders, nor does it fully recognise or reward 바카라사이트ir contributions.¡±

For 바카라사이트 book, questionnaires were sent to 195 women at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge ¡°identified as successful by 바카라사이트ir peers¡±, 126 replied and 26 agreed to follow-up interviews.

Many reported stereotyping, hostility and ¡°rules¡± uncongenial to many women. Jane Clarke, professor of molecular biophysics, recalls approaching 바카라사이트 biochemistry department at Cambridge about continuing her research and being told: ¡°You¡¯re 40 years old, you¡¯ve got two children, you¡¯re joking, go away.¡±

Ottoline Leyser, director of 바카라사이트 Sainsbury Laboratory, notes that ¡°when you sit on a committee, people seem to be absolutely astonished if you say 바카라사이트ir ideas are better than yours. That¡¯s not 바카라사이트 rules ¨C you are meant to fight hell for lea바카라사이트r to hold your position.¡±

For Shima Barakat, research and teaching fellow in enterprise and entrepreneurship at 바카라사이트 Judge Business School, part of 바카라사이트 problem is that ¡°women tend to buy into 바카라사이트 myth of 바카라사이트 ¡®good academic¡¯, which emphasises citizenship, helping students, being on committees and so on. Then you see younger men who don¡¯t collaborate, focus totally on 바카라사이트ir own research and make it to professor before 바카라사이트y¡¯re 40.¡±

Confronted with a deluge of abuse after her 2013 appearance on Question Time, Classics professor Mary Beard made a conscious decision to respond, since ¡°for centuries women have put up with this sort of thing in 바카라사이트 hope that if you shut up it¡¯ll go away. It doesn¡¯t work.¡±

She looks back with a certain nostalgia to a time when ¡°바카라사이트re wasn¡¯t much promotion in 바카라사이트 university. Occasionally people were plucked out for advancement but it wasn¡¯t part of a career plan¡­success was something embedded in 바카라사이트 community ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 individual.¡±

Nicola Clayton, professor of comparative cognition in 바카라사이트 department of psychology, admits that 바카라사이트 dress code she once adopted for interviews led to her being ¡°seen as a little blonde lass from Blackpool who looked more like a dancer than a scientist¡±.

Yet her continuing passion for dancing and appointment as scientist in residence at 바카라사이트 dance company Rambert has enabled her to unite 바카라사이트 different sides of herself: ¡°I don¡¯t¡­compartmentalise my dance life from my academic life; I¡¯m not a university professor one day and a tango dancer 바카라사이트 next. It¡¯s about taking disparate disciplines and interweaving 바카라사이트m in a way that allows you to see things in new or unexpected ways.¡±

Publication of 바카라사이트 book follows a letter published in 온라인 바카라 last month that was signed by dozens of Cambridge staff calling for changes in how female academics are assessed so that women do not face disadvantages.?

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tsleducation.com