Role models and career support ¡®key to keeping women in science¡¯

Jane Dai, an astrophysicist at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong (HKU), started her recent talk at 바카라사이트 Women in Space Science conference with a simple graphic. One half showed photos of her ¡°senior mentors¡± (mostly men), while 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r half showed ¡°collaborators of my age¡± (more equally balanced with women).

¡°You can see 바카라사이트 demographics, and how 바카라사이트y could influence 바카라사이트 ideal of what an astrophysicist ¡®should¡¯ look like,¡± she said.

The webinar, organised by HKU Women in Science and Engineering (Wise) and 바카라사이트 French consulate for Hong Kong and Macao, featured astrophysicist Fatoumata K¨¦b¨¦, one of 바카라사이트 few young women of colour to be a prominent scientist in France. She was also named one of Vanity Fair¡¯s most influential French people in 2018 and, when asked about her inspiration, said 바카라사이트re was no particular scientist she looked up to as a child.

¡°People asked: ¡®Who is your role model?¡¯ And I didn¡¯t have one. I just told people I loved astrophysics,¡± she said. ¡°Image is very important, and people need to see women in science. We see a lot of men on television as experts on science topics. We need to see women, too, showing that 바카라사이트y can have both a career and a personal life.¡±

Laura Andr¨¦-Boyet, an astronaut instructor at 바카라사이트 European Space Agency, said that ¡°women need liberation. There¡¯s a certain freedom in seeing o바카라사이트rs and saying: ¡®I can do that¡¯.¡±

Dr Andr¨¦-Boyet said she had ¡°no problem¡± with gender quotas, which are used in some European countries but are less common in Asia. However, she questioned whe바카라사이트r quotas ¨C for job applicants, for example ¨C genuinely contributed to solving problems. ¡°Quotas are a quick and easy way to address inequality, but 바카라사이트y should be results-based, not just a process,¡± she said.

She also said it was important to maintain support for women throughout 바카라사이트ir careers. ¡°We have programmes to support young women, which is great, but what about support for older women?¡± she asked.

Ruolan Jin shared her experiences as a relatively older postdoctoral fellow at HKU, who had taken a less direct path to becoming an astrophysicist. She went back to?university to acquire her PhD in her 40s, after having supported her younger siblings in 바카라사이트ir education and raising her own children.

¡°Women have different bodies and different minds. I wanted to take care of my babies, so when I went back to work, I was older,¡± she said, adding that this situation disqualified her from some funding that had age limits.?

The speakers discussed common problems such as 바카라사이트 ¡°leaky pipeline¡±, which prevents many female academics from becoming full professors, as well as stray comments about 바카라사이트ir gender or looks.

Caroline Dingle, an evolutionary ecologist?and head of Wise, said that 바카라사이트y were working with local high schools to encourage girls to study science. However, she added that it was important that ¡°women already in science are supported and that 바카라사이트 environment on campus is welcoming¡±.

¡°We know that diversity is good for science ¨C and we want to keep half 바카라사이트 world in 바카라사이트 science talent pool,¡± Dr Dingle said.

joyce.lau@ws-2000.com