We do it our way

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IUPS July 2009
Women in Physiology
We do it our way A personal and UK
perspective on gender equality and
physiology
Susan Wray Physiology Liverpool, UK
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On being a female physiologist in the UK

• 1 How good/bad is it?
• 2 What are the issues?
• 3 What can we do?

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1 How good/ bad is it?
Universities/institutes

• Female physiologists/scientist get appointed and
  promoted

• Female physiologists are
• Heads of departments and faculties

• Female physiologists/scientists are Vice
  Chancellors/executives

• All universities/institutes have equal
  opportunity commitment

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1 How good/ bad is it?
Professional bodies
Female physiologists on

• grant committees
• editorial Boards
• society committees
• learned bodies

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1 How good/ bad is it?
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1 How good/ bad is it?
Universities/institutes
Female physiologists/scientist get appointed and
promoted
gt50 women graduates, lt 10 become professors
professors and mothers.......Rare beasts
Female physiologists are Heads of departments and
faculties
All are first female head and majority of
departments have never had a female head.
Female physiologists/scientists are Vice
Chancellors/executive
Female VCs Very Rare beasts!
All universities/institutes have equal
opportunity commitment
UK universities have been shown to be amongst
worst institutions for gender equality. Equal
opportunity not working
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1 How good/ bad is it?
Professional bodies
Female physiologists on BUT

• grant committees few and no section heads,
• Wellcome Trust physiol committee
  1/15
• editorial Boards - few J.Physiol Expt
  Physiol
• never a female chair JP senior Eds
  0/14
• society committees few especially on
  executives
• Physiological Society currently
  1/6
• learned bodies - very few
• Female Royal Society Fellows
  5

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1 How good/ bad is it?
SAD
GRUMPY
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Dame Nancy Rothwell, FRS
In UK probably is best power role model for
physiologists Deputy President of University of
Manchester, Chairs a Wellcome Trust committee,
Council member of BBSRC, Trustee of Cancer
Research UK, Non-executive director of
AstraZeneca Is consulted by government, media ,
heads bodies etc Her view there are no
barriers, glass ceilings, just get on with
it, put yourself forward and dont forget to
network. But, the one thing worse than a lack
of women in senior positions or as fellows of the
Royal Society would be to judge them less
exactingly than men "For God's sake, you've got
to stop short of positive discrimination."
So why aren't there more Nancies?
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On being a female physiologist in the UK

• How good/bad is it?
• 2. What are the issues?
• What can we do?

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What are the issues?

• Women knowing what they want
• Science/workplace attitudes
• Families
• Stereotypes, assumptions and prejudice
• and.........

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What are the issues?

• Women knowing what they want

Life and choices more complex for females lack
of role models
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What are the issues?

• Science/workplace attitudes

male and female ways of doing things current set
up evolved to suit males and male ways e.g.
questions after talks for info or ego?
not a real scientist unless you life devoted to
it female way weak . success male
way power plays and alpha maleness not as
valued by women?
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What are the issues?
Women in Science, Engineering and Technology
Three Decades of UK Initiatives Alison Phipps
(Trentham Books 2008)
The success of initiatives has been limited by
focusing on helping women to survive and thrive
in existing masculine environments, rather than
challenging the underlying work culture and
perception of the ideal scientist as a masculine
figure rational, competitive, independent and
technically skilled.
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What are the issues?

• Families

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What are the issues?

• Stereotypes, assumptions and prejudice

Males are safe choice and plenty to pick
from Women good at pastoral roles, teaching,
details.... Female wouldnt want to do it
shes too busy already, parents/children to
look after no experience...... not put herself
forward Struggle in this role/discipline, get
pregnant, emotional, too risky, bitchy, cant
take a joke, never in the bar (threatens me,
may be better than me, didnt want to sleep with
me, whats her problem!)
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What are the issues?

• and.........

Society, biology, confidence, rewards, and
..........
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• 1 How good/bad is it?
• 2 What are the issues?
• 3 What can we do?

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What can we do?
A lot

• Evaluate and celebrate success role out role
  models
• Mentor schemes
• Do it your way dont give up
• Be a sister not a b

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What can we do?

• Evaluate and celebrate success role out role
  models

What is success you decide
Let people know and spread the word e.g.
Biophysical Society mag profiles Royal Society
booklet about successful women who are also
mothers,
Step up the mark Volunteer, nominate,
initiate, subvert
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Mothers in Science 64 ways to have it all
free pdf from RS. Ottoline Leyser Rosalind
Franklin Award
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What can we do?

• Evaluate and celebrate success role out role
  models

What is success you decide
Let people know and spread the word e.g.
Biophysical Society mag profiles Royal Society
booklet about successful women who are also
mothers,
Step up the mark Volunteer, nominate,
initiate, subvert
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LOREAL - UNESCO awards honouring women in
science


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What can we do?

• Mentor schemes

Join in, set up in work place and professional
bodies network
Tap in to existing organizations and expertise
Give money for named lecture, fellowship,
bursary, that favours females
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e.g. European association for women in Science -
Witec
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               WISE women into science,
engineering and construction
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What can we do?

• Mentor schemes

Join in, set up in work place and professional
bodies network
Tap in to existing organizations and expertise
Give money for named lecture, fellowship,
bursary, that favours females
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What can we do?

• Do it your way dont give up

One size doesnt fit all Feel the fear and do
it anyway. (every now and then!) Illegitimi non
carborundum
Sisters are doing it for themselves
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What can we do?

• Be a sister not a bitch

Dont perpetuate stereotypes, assumptions and
prejudices Dont pull the ladder up Dont get
jealous its easier now, let them learn from
their mistakes That could /should have been me,
so not helping her
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Thanks to all the good guys, female and male,
helping UK and world physiology by being fair
AND finally
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Professor Bridget Lumb, head of Physiology
Bristol and...
Chair of Organising Committee for IUPS 2013
in Birmingham, UK See you there!