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Girls and Women in German Astronomy

April 26, 2012 By 8 Comments

Today is Girls Day in Germany, where young girls can take part in events all over Germany to learn more about jobs in science, IT and technical professions. We have a whole host of things happening here on the MPIA campus, although somehow I am missing out on the part where we make cryogenic ice cream. Darn.

What I will not be telling teenage girls about is the paper published by Heidelberg (dot-)astronomer Janine Fohlmeister and Christiane Helling of St Andrews in Astronomische Nachrichten, and posted to astro-ph today (timing: coincidence?), on the career situation of female astronomers in Germany. The results presented are based on a survey taken by 61 female astronomers, based in Germany or German but based abroad. It’s a typically bleak read: no female Max Planck directors in Astronomy, leaky pipelines etc. I have a few issues with the survey, mostly that (i) the sample is really very small, and (ii) we can only really assess how work-life issues affect women specifically if we ask men the same questions. And the authors do also state that as a limitation.

They present lists of recommendations, which are also very sensible:

a motivating, encouraging, acknowledging boss/super- visor who was a good mentor and trusted in abilities, and who helped getting hands on excellent data and who introduced into networks
finding projects as well as self-motivation and working
independently
having role models for different topics and life phases
attending and giving talks at conferences, colloquia and
seminars
successful applications for grants, observing time and
soft money
stays abroad and flexibility, and
colleagues who helped to advance.

although I’d argue these apply to both male and female PhD students alike. As a woman, you really need all the above, and a supervisor who respects you irrespective of gender and who will stick up for you when others don’t.

More salient are the anecdotes offered by women taking the survey of comments they’ve had directed at them by men. These made me laugh, but of course it’s really quite depressing.

1. General designation (unconscious or conscious prejudice):
1.1. I know you would like to work, but if all women would stay at home, we would have much less un- employment.
1.2. For a woman your seminar was good.
1.3. You must be the secretary.
1.4. Female scientists are more masculine than normal women.
1.5. Special programs for women discriminate men.
1.6. Good morning gentlemen.
1.7. Dear Sir.
1.8. Ha ha, that is the alibi/quota woman!

2. Women are not treated independently of their partner:
2.1.    The husband of this (female) applicant has a better position, so she does not need a job.
2.2.    Why you want more money? Your husband is working!
2.3.  Will you stop your PhD education now that you married?

3. Pressing into the mother-role:
3.1. You have a diploma [i.e., M.Sc. degree], why do you also want a PhD? Now you can go home and have children.
3.2. Women who give birth dont come back.
3.3. To a woman with children: The permanent position is for mister XY, he has to support his family.
3.4. She wouldn’t come anyway (for a job) due to the children.
3.5. It is better for the children if the mother stays at home.

If I had taken the survey (sorry!) I might have contributed a few classics from my own experience over the years. Sometimes these comments are meant the way they sound: nasty and prejudiced, but often they are said in good spirits or as a joke, and answering back creates more awkwardness than it’s worth. I just smile, mentally relive some noted scenes from Kill Bill, and toast my glass of wine to the morons of the world with friends later on.

But basically people: if there’s only one woman in the room, anything you say that singles her out as being different is a no-no. When in doubt, replace “woman” with “old guy”, “non-white person” or “disabled person” and if that feels wrong, just don’t go there.

 

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What’s our greatest weakness?

March 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I’m curious: What do ya’ll think is the bit of professional astronomy that most needs to be changed? Regardless of government funding levels, is there one thing that’s holding us back from being the best astronomers we can be more than others? What’s our greatest weakness? Is it the disconnect between course work (theory) and practical astronomy (programming)? Disconnect between telescope time and funding? Not enough support for career tracks other than academia? Not enough open access to results? Competitive culture? Not competitive enough? If there was one thing you could change about our culture and traditions that would have the biggest impact on making astronomy more productive as a whole and an even better career choice than it is now, what would it be?

These questions by Kelle Cruz over on Astrobetter have sparked a pretty lively discussion, about careers, money, bad behaviour, and short-termism in science.

I was particularly piqued by one commenter, who seems to suggest that we shouldn’t make astronomy too attractive a career, as there are too many of us already. “We are all in it for the thrills of science.” Right. (In fairness, he does go on to mitigate the statement. But still.)

Got a bee in you bonnet? Go comment here.

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Feeling Stupid Doesn’t Have To Hurt

December 3, 2011 By 10 Comments

Many young scientists complain about feeling stupid compared with their peers, and even more suffer in silence. This phenomenon, called Impostor Syndrome, can be quite crippling and even cause people to quit their research careers. It’s frequently discussed these days, particularly in the context of gender balance in science, as women appear to be affected by it more than men. Perhaps it’s yet another reason why women disproportionately opt out of a career in science? I’m not sure I sign up to that idea, but it’s an interesting question nonetheless.

I was reminded of Impostor Syndrome today by an honest post by fellow astronomy postdoc Rita about her own feelings of inadequacy, and I’ve had similar discussions with many friends over the years. In my first few years as a postdoc I suffered massively from Impostor Syndrome in the same way that is described by so many others: fear, anxiety, insecurity, frustration.

Clearly, no one wants to live like this, and the associated anxiety that Rita talks about is common and completely understandable. In the last year or two I’ve thought a lot about these feelings, and I’ve figured out ways of dealing with them.

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“Where did the women go?” – Comments

May 20, 2011 By

I’ve followed with interest the discussion on Amanda‘s astropixie blog following her post “Where did the women go?”. She wrote the post after attending a Women in Astronomy workshop in Sydney and summarises the problem (–> women underrepresented in astronomy) and her thoughts. She also gives a list of action point for individuals and for institutes, which are useful to remind ourselves of.

I wanted to post some comments of my own, and after Blogger ate my carefully thought out words, I thought I’d write something here instead. In brief, I find myself siding more and more with the comments made by Rita Tojeiro on Amanda’s post. I find the many discussions of “women in astronomy” issues polarising and not very constructive. While it’s important to raise awareness about unconscious bias, which I do believe exists,  creating an “us vs. them” atmosphere only makes the problem worse.

Personally I want to stand out from all my peers, including those of the XY conviction. As Rita says, we don’t give awards to the best black astronomer, or the best muslim astronomer. Imagine! I don’t want to be a great female astronomer, or a great female science blogger for that matter.

We need to talk openly about the reasons that many scientists, male or female, don’t stick with a career in science, with everyone involved.”Women in science” meetings, to which often men aren’t (made to feel) welcome, tend to revolve around work-life balance issues, such as childcare and dual careers. These issues affect men too. Stronger even: in many cases, the men are the women scientists’ partners! They are the work-life balance, the problematic second body.

I won’t go on too much, as I’ve said it all before, and it’s all been repeated in Amanda’s comments section. I’d like to stress that I do think there are unconscious bias effects at work, and some of the reasons why people leave science affect women more than men. I don’t debate those things. But I think the way we discuss them, the way we try to address them, is not always the best.

And hey, it’s not all bad being a woman in astronomy. Here’s why:

  • No queues in the ladies’ loos at conferences. Where else can you get 2000 people together and only have lines at the men’s bathrooms? Makes me smile every time.
  • It’s far easier to make an impression: you are the albino chimp at the zoo! Who do you the important people will remember in a week – the 50 regular chimps or the one weird albino?

I don’t mean to belittle the issue – but you have to let yourself laugh about it too. Got any others?

 

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Postdocs want Bread and Roses too

October 10, 2010 By

Postdocs are the workhorses of research institutions and laboratories, the invaluable group glue between seniors and graduate students, and yet we’re a strangely invisible and transient population.  We’re relatively cheap to fund and easily dispensed with when the wells run dry. Once just a quick waystation between studentVille and facultyStadt, the relative overabundance of postdocs (pdf) means that now even the best and brightest have to stick around long enough to pitch their tent in postdocIngham. Some even decide to settle there.

Yet despite postdocIngham turning into a burgeoning metropolis, it remains a curiously unregulated, lawless and fragile society. It remains unrepresented in the Parliament of researchIstan. Why is that so? In this week’s edition of Nature, Virginia Gewin looks at the rise of postdoc unions in the US, their successes and dangers they present. For those without access, I’ve posted the pdf here.

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