Slides from presentations and workshops, click here
WOMEN IN ACADEMIA – BARRIERS AND GOOD PRACTICE
18-19 May 2009, Aarhus University
The conference mainly targets female academics – regardless of their field of study – who are contemplating a university career or have already embarked on one. However, the conference is also open to everyone interested in women’s career options (e.g. decision-makers, managers and HR personnel).
Women are scarce in scientific positions at universities in general. If one scrutinises the statistics, great numbers of women are found participating in undergraduate, PhD and postdoctoral programmes – and then they vanish. In Denmark, where the population prides itself on having a tradition for equal opportunity, only around 10% of the full professorships are held by women. If one considers centres of excellence and councils that decide overall research strategies and science funding, a magnifying glass is required to make the women visible.
Why would it matter? Women might not want a part of this scene!
The thing is that no one will ever know what women want! Luckily, women as individuals want completely different things. Some are interested in research and want to make it their professional career. It is in society’s interest that the best scientists are recruited and that there are no open or hidden hindrances for women to contribute to scientific understanding and development.
We know many of the reasons why women are not equally represented in senior scientific positions – but what can we do about it? Aarhus University has decided to host this conference, which focuses on experiences and best practice from a number of scientific institutions in various countries. We want to extract the essence of the current knowledge available in this field and put it into action.
The conference will conclude with a consensus for best practice – a pamphlet to use as a tool for politicians and university administrations.
- Life and work balance
- Networking
- Coaching and mentoring
- Recruitment and retainment
- Gender budgeting
- Getting women to the top – to research management
Read full programme here.