Good Practice in Chemistry Departments

Sarah DickinsonRoyal Society of ChemistryandCaroline FoxAthena Forum

Outline

Numbers: women in science Career intensions of PhD students Work with Athena Good Practice

Both men and women benefit from good practice, however,

women in particular are adversely affected by bad

practice

Overall Students Numbers: HE is increasingly a female environment

44 4445

46 46

51 5152

5354

5556 56 56 56

57 5758

3334

39

3738

39 39

42

4445

46 4647

4849 49

55

53

20

30

40

50

60

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007Year of graduation

% F

em

ale

Undergraduate Postgraduate

Chemistry Student Numbers: getting there….

3436 35 36 37 37 38 37

40 4139

43 42

46 47

52

46 47

2225 26 27

3032

34 33

37 3735 36

39 39 4038

40 40

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007Year of graduation

% F

emal

e

Undergraduate Postgraduate

Chemistry Student Numbers: but it’s not all good news…

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Che

mis

try

stud

ent n

umbe

r

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Year of graduation

Men

Women

Percentage of female staff by grade in all subjects

0

5

10

1520

25

30

3540

45

50

% o

f fe

ma

le s

taff

Researcher Lecturer Senior Lecturer Professor

1997200320052006

Percentage of female staff by grade

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Researcher Lecturer Senior lecturer Professor

Chemistry

All

Some comparisons….

3026

146

2517

93

18 189

5

4940

29

14

4133

16

7975 72

62

46 47

37

18

43

0

20

40

60

80

100

Researcher Lecturer/Assis Prof Senior Lecturer/ AssocProf

Full Professor

% fe

mal

e st

aff

Chemistry Civil Eng P hysicsBiosciences Business Nursing & P araAll

Postgraduate surveys: 1999 and 2006

Women postgraduates were more likely to seek careers advice from careers services, and earlier than men.

Equal proportions of men and women said that they had received careers advice at the end of three years but men were more likely to have spoken to supervisor as their sole advisor

79% of women and 86 % of men intended to use their science in their careers

Do you plan to be a research chemist?

72

56

37

61

73

59

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

1 2 3

Number of Years into PhD

Per

cen

tag

e ag

reei

ng

Women

Men

Possible reasons for giving up

Positive decision to do something else Negative experience of research in

academic chemistry Pessimism about future job prospects in

chemistry (salaries, job security, lack of promotion)

The results do have policy implications

The findings of the research have serious implications especially as the proportion of women graduating in chemistry approaches 50 percent

Any increases in the number of chemistry graduates may be counteracted by the “leaky pipeline”

The need for action to encourage women to stay in chemistry is becoming even more important than it was!

Just a bit of fun…

The Athena Moment…

Chemistry - 2038 Biosciences – 2015 Physics - 2102 Mathematics - 2237 However, parity in chemistry full professorships is not

likely for eighty years

the moment when the proportions of female and male staff are equal

Athena Project 1999-2007

ATHENA AIMS To advance and promote the careers of women in science, engineering and technology in higher education (HE) and research and to achieve a significant increase in the number of women recruited to top posts

ATHENA FOCUS Working in partnership to encourage, support, develop, identify and disseminate good practice, which is

simplecheapeffective

And changes ‘how we do things round here’

Athena successes

Development grants – projects in 12 universities LAWNs – Local Academic Women’s Networks in 15

universities 7 Royal Society Athena awards for good practice 27 Reports on good practice Athena Survey of science, engineering and technology

(ASSET) of13,000 + scientists & engineers Athena SWAN Charter and recognition awards Some 80 universities have worked with Athena

Factors affecting career choices of graduate chemists

Published in 1999, this study found that: Both men and women had concerns about long

hours, low pay and career structure Women alone were concerned about:

Poor working conditions Emphasis on results rather than process Isolation and segregation

Working environment in academic chemistry deters large numbers of women from remaining

Structure of departments and the nature of the subject creates barriers to their promotion

Recruitment and Retention of Women in Academic Chemistry 2001

A few chemistry departments were observed to have a significantly greater proportion of women staff than most

Was this purely by chance or was there more going on?

Study sought to find out through interviews with a number of female staff in a number of different departments

Conclusions

The introduction of good management practice has a identifiable impact on the willingness of women to apply to and remain within departments

The personality—and personal circumstances—of the head of department are significant in determining good management practice

Institutions have a role in ensuring that selection procedures for department heads prevent departments selecting leaders in their own image

The best departments do not target measures specifically at women

Strategic Messages I

1. The problem of increasing the number of women in chemistry and in senior positions is not intractable.

2. But good practice is patchy and needs to be spread to become the prevailing ethos: in UK chemistry departments in science departments in general.

3. Good practice is embedded in department cultures, histories and personalities: it will take time to become universal.

Strategic Messages II

4. The RSC, universities and departments need to: plan to sustain long-term culture change take short-term initiatives to improve the immediate

position.

5. Both sets of measures should take account of needs: over the working week over the career trajectory.

6. Action to promote change: should largely be gender-neutral create a better professional and employment

environment for men and women.

Good Practice Report 2004

To provide a tool to allow departments to assess themselves for good practice

And to provide examples of good practice

Methodology

Checklist sent to all chemistry departments and returned by 25 (about half).

Followed up responses with telephone interviews

Selected five departments with considerable “good practice” for visits

Spoke to individuals to learn about their experiences

Good Practice Report 2nd Edition 2008

Updated checklist sent to all chemistry departments and so far returned by 36

Followed up responses with telephone interviews

Carried out departmental visits

University of Utopia

University of Utopia

Welcoming Supportive Encouraging Accessibility Transparency Accountability

University of Utopia

Open doors….Open minds

Good practice….Good science

Sustainable careers….Sustainable departments

Athena Partnership Toolkit

Good Practice checklist now based on five Key Performance Indicators, available as a checklist for university academic departments

IOP, RSC are piloting a generic departmental good practice visit and benchmarking report, which can be undertaken by other science professional societies

KPIs of Good Practice = Juno Principles

A robust organisational framework for action to deliver equality of opportunity and reward

Appointment and promotion processes that encourage men and women to apply for academic posts at all levels

Career progression arrangements that are actively managed and supported

Departmental organisation, culture structures and systems that are inclusive

Flexibility across the working day, working year and working life to maximise individuals’ contributions to SET at all life and career stages

Thank you

Sarah Dickinson (dickinsons@rsc.org)Caroline Fox (caroline.fox@royalsociety.org)

www.rsc.org/Diversity.asp