Identifying and Reducing Bias in Scientific Evaluation Molly Carnes, M.D. presented this topic at UT Southwestern's Psychiatry Grand Rounds in 2008.  She is director of Women's Health Research and co-director of Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. WISMAC co-hosted Dr. Carnes and video recorded her lecture, which is available on the intranet (access only from a UT Southwestern campus-network computer or via VPN): 
http://www4.utsouthwestern.edu:8080/psc/video/Carnes.cfm

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Family Obligations & an Academic Career A new report, based on extensive original research, considers the impact of children and family obligations on women's willingness to pursue faculty positions, and identifies both when and why women and men with caregiving plans or responsibilities drop or opt out of the academic science career path.  The report is by Marc Goulden, Ph.D., Karie Frasch, Ph.D., and Mary Ann Mason, J.D., Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley, the Berkeley Center on Health, Economic, & Family Security and The Center for American Progress.  The report and executive summary are available at: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/11/women_and_sciences.html [This info from the 11/13/2009 AAMC GREAT  email newsletter].  

"Women in Science at the National Institutes of Health 2007-2008" is a new publication showcasing the achievements of some of the accomplished women at the NIH and is intended to inspire a diversity of girls and boys, women and men to enter or continue in science careers. Sponsored and prepared by the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health with assistance from the members of the NIH Coordinating Committee on Research on Women's Health, the book celebrates the careers and accomplishments of 289 talented female scientists and administrators who are part of the NIH community. For the press release and a link to the report, please visit:
http://www.nih.gov/news/health/nov2009/od-12.htm [This info from the 11/13/2009 AAMC GREAT  email newsletter].

Women Making Strides in Graduate Education
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) today released its annual report on graduate education trends.  The report shows that the number of doctoral degrees awarded to women in 2008 grew by 5.7%, compared to a 3.5% increase for men. Between 1998 and 2008, the average annual growth rate in doctorates for women was almost triple that for men, 3.9% vs. 1.4%.Women received just over 49% of doctorates awarded in 2007-08, up from 48% the previous year. The proportion varied by field, from 22% in engineering to almost 70% in health sciences.  Who's moving on [from AWIS Washington Wire, Sept. 2009 issue I]

Unconscious Bias in Faculty and Leadership Recruitment: A Literature Review A new Analysis in Brief released by the American Association of Medical Colleges reviews the the scientific literature on unconscious bias and how it relates to job recruitment and evaluations. Women and minorities have made strides in achieving equality in the workplace, but they are still underrepresented in the upper strata of organizations, including senior faculty and leadership positions at medical schools and teaching hospitals. Social science researchers have pursued the theory of "unconscious bias" as one barrier to workplace equality that may persist despite a commitment to increase diversity. Stereotypical [from AWIS Washington Wire, Sept. 2009 issue I]

Equitable Rewards and Recognition for Women The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) has been awarded a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation for a new project: "Advancing Ways of Awarding Recognition in Disciplinary Societies (AWARDS)." AWARDS is designed to create a sustainable framework for assuring progress towards more equitable rewards and recognition for women and members of underrepresented groups in a wide range of scientific communities. To read more about the project, visit www.awis.org. [AWIS Washington Wire Aug. 2009 issue II]

Women Receive Almost a Third of The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers President Obama named this year's recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), touted in the press release as "the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on young professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers." The winners are selected by nine federal departments and agencies and receive up to five years of grant funding. Thirty-one women will be amongst the 100 who are to receive this highly coveted award at a White House ceremony in the fall. [AWIS Washington Wire Aug. 2009 issue II]

Unprecedented Number of Female Faculty Hired at UT Austin College of Liberal Arts About half of the 49 professors who will be joining the College of Liberal Arts faculty in 2009-2010 are female. That includes an unprecedented five women coming in as full professors from such schools as Harvard University, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Southern California. The hires come less than a year after an internal University of Texas at Austin report identified potential strategies for eliminating gender inequity on the faculty. They represent one of the university's biggest successes to date in closing the gender gap. See the entire article at: http://www.utexas.edu/news/2009/08/12/female_faculty_hires/?AddInterest=1292 [From UT Austin Alumni newsletter, August 2009]

US House Hearing Details Gender Gap in Science and Engineering Despite substantial gains made by women in science and engineering fields during the past four decades, "the gap is real, the gap persists," AAAS CEO Alan I. Leshner told a House Subcommittee on Research and Science Education. Although the gaps between boys and girls have disappeared in precollege classes such as chemistry, advanced algebra, and precalculus math, gaps persist in high school and college classes in physics, calculus, and computer science. Although women now receive nearly half of the doctoral degrees in the biological sciences, and are awarded nearly half of all M.D. degrees, they lag in Bachelor's degrees in physics and engineering, earning only one out of five. The hearing cited low science and math standards in the K-12 grade level as the largest problem facing education today. Participants urged policy makers to gather better data on effective practices to recruit and train women in scientific fields and to provide funding support. Read more. [from Am. Assoc. for Advancement of Science electronic Aug. 2009 newsletter]

Unconscious Bias in Faculty and Leadership Recruitment: A Literature Review Although women and minorities have made significant strides in achieving equality in the workplace, they are still underrepresented in the upper strata of organizations, including senior faculty and leadership positions at medical schools and teaching hospitals. Within the last decade, social science researchers have pursued the theory of “unconscious bias” as one barrier to workplace equality that may persist despite a general commitment to increase diversity across the academic medicine workforce and other organizations. This AAMC Analysis in Brief reviews the scientific literature on the theory of unconscious bias, explores the role of unconscious bias in job recruitment and evaluations, and offers suggestions for search committees and others involved in hiring decisions at medical schools and teaching hospitals. As shown in Table 1, research on unconscious bias suggests that, given equal weighting on all other variables, people prefer males over females and white and Asian American individuals over individuals of other races in career-related evaluations. Read Analysis in Brief (PDF) [posted Aug. 2009]

More Women Breaking the Biotech Glass Ceiling Massachusetts has seen a sudden surge of women in the boardroom with three new female chiefs appointed to helm drug developers since last summer. Abbie Celniker of Taligen Therapeutics, Bonnie Fendrock of Hepregen and Katrine Bosle of Avila Therapeutics gained recognition and top jobs in the industry after years of hard work, notes the Boston Business Journal. And the Journal says that there are plenty more women coming up through the ranks of Bay State biotechs. Women moving up [from AWIS Washington Wire July 2009]

Want to know how many women receive NIH funds? The average size of their grants?
NIH has created a website on the involvement of women in its various grant
programs! see: Sex/Gender in the Biomedical Science Workforce
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/policy/sex_gender/q_a.htm

Study: Girls Do Understand Math, but We Don't Want Them To  In 2005, former Harvard University president and current economic adviser to President Obama, Lawrence Summers, stated that males are naturally smarter than females in the fields of science and engineering. This comment and others like it encouraged Janet Hyde and Janet Mertz, professors of psychology and oncology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to collect and analyze global data on math performance and gender inequality, as measured by the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index. The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and demonstrated that girls' math scores display the same level of variability as boys' in some countries and in some ethnic groups in the United States (e.g. Asian Americans). Hyde and Mertz attribute a number of cultural factors to the prevention of female success and interest in mathematics, including teachers paying more attention to males than females in math classes and a lack of female role models in math-related fields. It all adds up  [from AWIS Washington Wire June 2009]

Evaluating Science or Evaluating Gender?  On the surface it seems women are receiving awards at increasing rates due to women-only awards. However, women are 65 percent less likely to win an award if the reviewing committee chair is a man. Between 1997 and 2009 the American Physical Society gave out 464 individual awards that were first reviewed by a committee. Only 20 awards were given to women physicists. Women don't get the prize [from AWIS Washington Wire June 2009]

Survey Shows Two-Thirds of Americans Can't Name a Woman Scientist A new national survey commissioned by L'Oreal USA shows that Americans are generally unaware of the contributions of women to science. According to the survey Women, Science and Success: The New Face of Innovation, 65 percent of American adults cannot name a single famous female scientist. Read more of the results from this telephone survey in the prnewswire press release.  Read about women in science [AWIS Washington Wire, May 2009 Issue I]

Gender of Instructors May Affect Success of Female Students A new study reports that the gender gap in course grades and STEM majors is eradicated when high performing female students' introductory math and science classes are taught by female professors. Three economists examine a unique dataset of college students who have been randomly assigned to professors over a wide variety of mandatory standardized courses. The results suggest that while professor gender has little impact on male students, it has a powerful effect on female students' performance in math and science classes, their likelihood of taking future math and science courses, and their likelihood of graduating with a STEM degree. [AWIS Washington Wire, May 2009 Issue II] Sex matters

Men Needed to Secure Gender Equity A new report from Catalyst, Engaging Men in Gender Initiatives: What Change Agents Need to Know, looks at some of the hurdles keeping men from supporting gender initiatives in the work place and what factors made men more likely to support such initiatives.   Download the report here [AWIS Washington Wire, May 2009 Issue II]

Childless Women Face Workplace Discrimination Too Professional women who opt not to have children often are "vilified at work" as supervisors view them as less than human, according to research by Dr. Caroline Gatrell of the Lancaster University Management School in the U.K. Gatrell says many supervisors view these women as "cold, odd and somehow emotionally deficient in an almost dangerous way that leads to them being excluded from promotions that would place them in charge of others."  Damned if you do, damned if you don't [AWIS Washington Wire, May 2009 Issue II]

"Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Faculty" During the week of June 1, 2009, the National Academies released a report, by this name.  Although women are still underrepresented in the applicant pool for faculty positions in math, science, and engineering at major research universities, those who do apply are interviewed and hired at rates equal to or higher than those for men, says the report.  Similarly, women are underrepresented among those considered for tenure, but those who are considered receive tenure at the same or higher rates than men.  The report contains other findings of interest and the study panel makes specific recommendations for both research institutions and academic societies.  For more information, visit:   http://www.nas.edu/morenews/20090602.html [posted June 24, 2009]      

Is Tenure a Trap for Women? Choosing family over career or vice versa is a constant theme in academe these days.  It becomes even more difficult as lifestyles of the modern professor change. Female leaders of higher education like Shirley M. Tilghman, first woman president of Princeton University, argue that the tenure system should be abolished.  Is that good or bad for women? Trapped  [from AWIS Washington Wire, April 2009, Issue II]

Men Advance Quicker Than Women A 2006 study recently released by the Modern Language Association reveals that women in English and foreign language departments take an average of 1.6 years longer than men to earn a promotion from associate to full professorship (6.6 years for men, 8.2 years for women).  This finding was consistent in both married and single female populations, with and without dependent children.  The study found that men devote more time to research, while women devote more time to teaching responsibilities.  The authors postulate that teaching and service obligations are less likely to be rewarded, and propose that  "microdifferences" in how women and men spend time (professionally and personally) account for the disparity in recognition.  The Race Is On  [from AWIS Washington Wire, April 2009, Issue II]

Bringing Students to the STEM Fields: What Eastfield College is Doing Eastfield Community College -- part of the Dallas County Community College District -- with help from the National Science Foundation, has improved enrollment of minority groups, women, and people with disabilities in the STEM majors by more than 57 percent. More importantly, the college increased its very low retention rate from 15 to 46 percent.  The secret?  Students work in a science setting and receive a stipend. The students work at universities providing basic lab support, in national parks, or other areas where they conduct sampling activities and aid scientists with large projects. This avoids what is known as a "drill and kill," where students in introductory sciences courses become frustrated and quit.  Attracting STEM Students [adapted from AWIS Washington Wire, April 2009]

Ambition and Gender Equality A study recently released by the Families and Work Institute reveals that women with children are just as ambitious in their careers as their childless counterparts.  In 2002, 48% of young mothers expressed a desire for more job responsibility; that number has grown to 66% today.  The study was not able to pinpoint the source of this motivation.  Another notable increase is in the number of men who experienced work-family conflicts.  In 1977, 34% of men and women surveyed reported work-life conflicts.   Today, 45% of men, compared to 39% of women, cite the same obstacles.  Additionally, a growing percentage of men and women report confidence that working women can be good mothers.  Those respondents who were raised by a working mother were much more likely to agree that working mothers are comparable caregivers to stay-at-home moms.  The New Workplace Equalizer: Ambition [from AWIS Washington Wire, April 2009]

NSF Releases Updated Report on Women, Minorities, and People with Disabilities This report continues a series of Congressionally-mandated biennial reports and can be used to track progress, inform the development of policies to increase participation in science and engineering, and evaluate the effectiveness of such policies. New Data and Analyses [from AWIS Washington Wire, Mar. 2009]

New Edition: Young Women in Science Booklet Science/AAAS, in collaboration with the L’Oréal Corporate Foundation, has published a new Young Women in Science booklet. The 2009 booklet offers more exciting and inspirational stories. These profiles, from interviews with young women at the start of their science careers, tell stories of passion and persistence -- what drives and excites them about their work in the sciences. Read more. [from AAAS electronic newsletter March, 2009]

Stopping the Clock...On Grants For several years, college and university tenure committees have allowed for "stopping the clock" on tenure review for academics who need time for family responsibilities [including UT Southwesern].  This same philosophy is behind legislation being proposed by Texas democratic Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson.  Among other things, the proposed bill would require federal agencies like the NSF and the NIH to "extend" grant support for cases where a researcher is also a care-giver and to provide specific ways for researchers to hire "interim technical support" to keep laboratories running while an investigator is on a family leave.  The bill would also require federal agencies to organize workshops around the issue of promoting gender equity in science by examining the hiring process by science departments and the peer review and grants processes.  While many university officials are ambivalent about some of the changes that are called for in the bill, experts on women and academic careers see the legislation as a important step in achieving gender equity in the sciences.  Expanding the "Stop the Clock" Philosophy  [from AWIS Washington Wire, Mar. 2009]

NSF Travel Grants to Women Scientists Increased Research Productivity One hundred ninety-three U.S. women scientists and engineers received travel grants from the National Science Foundation between 2001-2003.  The grants allowed the women to establish international research partnerships in more than 60 countries. In a survey of the grantees, most of them agreed that the travel grants allowed them to make progress in their research productivity.  Studies show that women scientists are less likely to have international research partnerships. Travel Grants Benefit Research [from AWIS Washington Wire, Feb. 2009]

Bill to Promote Gender Parity Among University Engineering and Science Faculty Reintroduced Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson announced that she has introduced H.R. 1144, the Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act, which she also introduced in the 110th Congress. The provisions of the bill are derived from recommendations of the National Academies report "Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering."  Press Release: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act [from AWIS Washington Wire, Feb. 2009]

Academic Culture Continues to Discourage Men From Being Active Parents Many universities do not have or offer family-friendly policies to faculty or graduate students who are also fathers.  A survey of University of California faculty found that mothers worked, on average, 18.6% more hours per week than fathers (95 hrs vs. 80 hrs), and spent 12% more of their working hours on childcare and housework.  A survey of graduate students uncovered similar disparity: mothers worked 13% more hours per week than fathers (101 hrs vs. 89 hrs), and devoted 13% more time to childcare and housekeeping.  Cultural norms that do not embrace the father figure as a component of childcare were cited as a cause for the seeming inequity, not a lack of desire to participate in childcare.  Compared to the US, Sweden offers a generous 18-month parental-leave policy.  In an effort to change the norm there, if the fathers do not participate, that leave allowance is reduced to 12 months.  Family-Friendly Policies Must Include Fathers  [from AWIS Washington Wire, Feb. 2009]

Change in Boardroom Dynamics as Women's Presence Increases on College Boards A recent survey by the Cornell Higher Education Research Institution and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges shows an increase from 20% to 31% of female members on college boards. During the same period, the percentage of college and university boards being chaired by women increased from 10% to 18%. These findings are consistent with Wellesley Centers for Women research on women serving on boards of Fortune 1000 companies. According to the Wellesley Centers' research, as the number of women on boards increases, the less likely their viewpoints are marginalized or ignored. And consistent with the notion of a "critical mass," women who served on boards with at least two other females reported that their opinions were more highly valued. Increase of Women on College Boards [from AWIS Washington Wire, Feb. 2009]

What it Takes for African American Women to Succeed in Science This research demonstrates that despite a great interest in science many young African American women find that to stay in afloat in the sciences they must "swim against the tide." Given the low expectations and race discrimination they often encounter, an unexpected conclusion, according to the research, is that they persevere.  The book, Swing Against the Tide: African American Women and Science Education indicates how these students succeed and what obstacles they overcome. Based on statistics, surveys, and interviews, the author shows this pool of young women should recruited and murtured to study science if the US hopes overcome an expected decrease in up and coming scientists.  Swimming Against the Tide [from AWIS Washington Wire, Feb. 2009]

Lilly Ledbetter Act: First Legislation Signed by Obama At the end of her 19-year career at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, worker Lilly Ledbetter learned that her pay was only 75-80% of her male counterparts. Ms. Ledbetter sued, alleging gender-based pay discrimination and the case was ultimately argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2007. In a 5-4 decision, the majority ruled that employees must file a discrimination claim within 180 days of the first discriminatory event, regardless of when the disparity is discovered.  The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which Obama signed on January 29, 2009, overturns this Supreme Court decision by defining every paycheck as a new act of discrimination, thereby extending the 180-day statute of limitations.    Obama Signs Ledbetter Act (video and article) [from AWIS Washington Wire, Jan. 2009]

Perceived Work-life Demands of Academic Research Doctoral students are eschewing the "fast-track" to tenured, research-intensive positions because of perceived work demands. In a survey issued to over 19,000 University of California doctoral students, the majority of respondents cited work environment and expectations for these positions as being too demanding to permit a tolerable work-life balance.  As compared to previous generations, today's doctoral students include a higher percentage of women, anticipate being part of a two-income household, and expect a greater degree of job flexibility.  The faculty culture of most academic institutions has not changed to accommodate this new candidate profile. The authors suggest that by developing part-time and leave-of-absence programs, and fostering a culture supportive of working parents, these institutions can overcome such negative perceptions and reap the rewards of a diverse, motivated candidate pool.    Finding Work/Life Balance [from AWIS Washington Wire, Jan. 2009]

The Second Shift in Academic Medicine  A study based on a survey at the University of Minnesota Medical School highlights the presence and effects of the second shift. The study found full-time female professors performed an average of 31 hours a week in family and household duties, while men performed only 19 hours on average. The women were less likely than men to have a partner or spouse, and more likely to have children. Additionally, women were overrepresented in citing obstacles to their career or satisfactions. Obstacles including lack of part-time promotion track were cited by 22% of the women and only 3% of the men. Other obstacles include lack of emergency child-care and inadequate formal parental leave policy.    Evidence and Obstacles of the Second Shift [from AWIS Washington Wire, Jan. 2009]

Women CEOs Slowly Gain on Corporate America  Women now receive about six in 10 college degrees, yet progress is slow near the top. As we enter 2009, the number of female CEOs running the USA's largest 500 publicly traded companies reaches 13. A review of the 2008 performance of several women-run companies shows women out-performing their male counterparts. However, the small sample size impedes measuing women's impact effectivly, and renders little more than curiosity.    What will be the sign that women have finally shattered the glass ceiling? [from AWIS Washington Wire, Jan. 2009]

More Women Cardiologists but Discrimination Remains A decade long study of cardiologists  published in the Jan. 2009 Journal of the American College of Cardiology reveals that more women than men practice noninvasive cardiology and are more likely to work in an academic setting. The number of women in cardiology doubled in the last decade, but they still represent less than 20% of physicians in the specialty. Both men and women express high satisfaction with their careers, but both groups are equally dissatisfied in their compensation. During the course of the study, the rate of discrimination based on gender did not change, even though both sexes reported an increase in caregiver duties. The purpose of the study was to identify "societal shifts" so the discipline of cardiology can adapt accordingly and continue to attract top candidates to the line of work.  Women in Cardiology [from AWIS Washington Wire Jan. 2009]

Final Report of The Gender Equity Task Force   The University of Texas at Austin published its Final Report of The Gender Equity Task Force. Nine areas, gender gap in faculty representation, promotion and attrition gap for faculty advancing through the ranks, salary gap, climate concerns, leadership gap, policy awareness and use, governance, family-friendly policies, position of senior women are examined. Although women are generally satisfied with their current positions, the report found that promotions for women lagged that of men and a salary disparity persists even when accounting for "salary structure and rank." Assessing Gender Equity  [from AWIS Washington Wire, posted December 2008]

Stanford University's Family Friendly Policies Expand Chemistry department chair establishes a "special purpose space" for faculty, staff, graduates students, and postdoctoral scholars dealing with certain personal issues, such as a bad headache or the need to pump breast milk. The person signs up for the room when they need privacy. Additionally nursing rooms on campus can be located by calling the university WorkLife Office. "Such policies are intended to increase the number of women pursuing advanced degrees that will prepare them for leadership positions in academia, industry and government.".  Stanford Rooms for Moms . Please note that UT Southwestern has Facilities for Nursing Mothers:  http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept132390/files/390853.html [from AWIS Washington Wire December 2008]

Gender Differences Among U.S. Medical School Faculty Significant  The AAMC has issued an "Analysis in Brief" on "Differences in U.S. Medical School Faculty Job Satisfaction by Gender."  Significant differences in levels of job satisfaction between men and women were noted particularly in faculty promotion, pay, and compensation.  The briefing concludes that institutions need "to create equitable environments that maximize the satisfaction and vitality of all faculty." Unhappy Faculty [from AWIS Washington Wire, posted December 2008]

 Professional Women and Minorities: A Total Human Resources Data Compendium The 17th edition is now available.  The reference book, which is published by the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology, includes data on enrollments, degrees, and the general, academic and federal workforce. For more information, please visit: http://www.cpst.org/BlubPWM17F.cfm [from AWIS Washington Wire December 2008]

Beyond the Glass Ceiling,  The Glass Cliff  Over the last two decades, women have begun to break through the "glass ceiling" to earn leadership roles within organizations.  However, closer examination reveals that those top positions held by women have a greater threat of failure because they tend to be within declining business units.  Research recently published in The Leadership Quarterly described this phenomenon as a "glass cliff" and demonstrated in three controlled studies that women were more likely than men to be selected for senior management positions within companies in jeopardy.  Those persons surveyed predictably chose a woman over an equally qualified male counterpart, for a high-risk, high-stress leadership position because the job was perceived to have a significant risk of failure.  The Glass Cliff [from AWIS Washington Wire Dec. 2008]

Women Maintain Status Quo for Top U.S. Jobs  A recent study shows women have made no significant gains in top U.S. jobs in 2008. Examining board directors, corporate officers, and top earners at Fortune 500 companies, the study found the small percentage of women in these positions has not increased over the last year. Percentage of women as top earners have hovered around 6.5 percent. Many are optimistic about the Obama Administration and are expecting to see a change next year.  [from AWIS Washington Wire Dec. 2008] No advancement in 2008

Where’s the Girl Power? Executive Director of the American Association of University Women, Linda D. Hallman, CAE, was part of a discussion that aired September 10, 2008 on Minnesota Public Radio, titled "Where’s the Girl Power?" She joined a panel that tackled the question of why success in school is not a predictor of success in the workplace for women and discussed AAUW’s report Behind the Pay Gap.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/09/10/midmorning2/ (the program audio)
http://www.aauw.org/research/upload/behindPayGap.pdf [From AAUW Mission & Action September/October 2008 email broadcast]

Victory on the Paycheck Fairness Act The American Association of University Women (AAUW) celebrated a victory with the passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act in the House of Representatives on July 31, 2008. Visit AAUW’s website to read the in-depth story of the bill’s passage and the association’s instrumental role in this victory. See how your representative voted on the Paycheck Fairness Act, and contact your representative about his or her vote.
http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy/paycheckFairness.cfm
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2008-556
http://capwiz.com/aauw/issues/alert/?alertid=11770306&type=CO  [From AAUW Mission & Action September/October 2008 email broadcast]

Re-thinking the Traditional Academic Career Ladder The dearth of junior leadership coming into the pipeline will have a direct impact on future leadership of academic institutions is examined in a new issue brief by the American Council on Education.  For example, women aged 45 or younger working in permanent positions make up only five percent of faculty at four-year institutions, and six percent of faculty at community colleges. Likewise, people of color aged 45 or younger working in permanent positions make up only four percent of faculty at four-year institutions and six percent of community college faculty. http://www.acenet.edu/AM/Template.cfmSection=Home&TEMPLATE=
/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=28763 [from AWIS Washington Wire Sept. 2008 issue II]

It Pays to be a Sexist A new study has found that traditional gender role orientation continues to impact wages negatively for women.  Men with traditional attitudes about gender roles earned $11,930 more a year than men with egalitarian views and $14,404 more than women with traditional attitudes. The comparisons were based on men and women working in the same kinds of jobs with the same levels of education and putting in the same number of hours per week.  The study is significant in that it contests a popular notion of the gender-gap theory which suggests that wage disparity is the result of career choices that men and women make or the different hours that men and women work. 
http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/apl935994.pdf [from AWIS Washington Wire Sept. 2008 issue II]

Awards to Women Ever wonder about how many of those scientific awards given by societies
are going to women? Check out the data collected via the raise project http://raiseproject.org/faq.php [posted 10/6/08]

No Female Lasker Awardees for 2008 The Lasker Award winners were announced in September. Although all are impressive scientists in medical research, again, there are no women on the list. Click on this link for the related article from the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/health/14lasker.html?ei=5070&emc=eta1 The new president of the Lasker Foundation, Marie Freire, will be a speaker at the Board Meeting of the Rosalind Frank Society Board Meeting on November 12^{th, 2008} in New York. Her insights and her vision will be quite timely.  [Adapted from an email announcement from the Rosalind Frank Society; posted 10/6/08].

Gender inequity in Neurosurgery According to a new white paper developed by the leadership of Women in Neurosurgery for the Board of Directors of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, there are only 181 female board-certified neurosurgeons accounting for less than 6 percent of a neurosurgical workforce of more than 3,000. The new report discusses the challenges of attracting and retaining women to the field of neurosurgery.  The source report appears in the September issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery which is available free to non-subscribers.  The future of neurosurgery:  a white paper on the recruitment and retention of women in neurosurgery  [AWIS Washington Wire Aug. 2008, Issue II]

Lack of job confidence A study conducted by TIAA-CREF Institute found newly minted Ph.D.s felt unprepared for their first job in some areas. Among the men and women polled within the first five years of their first job, women reported feeling the least confident about their position. Women were significantly less confident than men in the areas of conducting research and teaching undergraduate students, but were equally or more confident than men in areas of interdisciplinary collaboration and the ability to serve on faculty committees. Confidence levels rose quickly as the young faculty member became more integrated into their career. From AWIS Washington Wire: July Issue 1 Confidence Gap for New Profs , Read the report

Equality in math A study released by Science July 25 found no gap between U. S. girls and boys in mathematics scores - not even the "trivial" gap that had been reported in an earlier study by the same author. Researchers sorted through scores from standardized tests taken in 2005, 2006 and 2007 by nearly 7 million students in 10 states and found "no gender difference" in scores from grades 2 through 11. The team did find that white boys outnumbered white girls two to one for the highest test scores, but among Asians the reverse was true. This suggests that cultural and social factors, not just gender, influence test performance.  AWIS Washington Wire: July Issue 2  Girls = Boys at Math, Read the report

Data on women in science and engineering An InfoBrief released by the National Science Foundation analyzes 33 years of data on women in science and engineering (S&E) faculty positions. From 1973 to 2006, women grew from 7% to 30% of full-time S&E faculty (who earned their doctorate in the United States and now work in US universities).  The InfoBrief is available at:
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08308/     
From Aug. 1, 2008 GreatMail News (AAMC)

Appearance of equity more important than reality, report says Interviews with 80 women at a large research university revealed individual and institutional discrimination still exists even while women are increasing in prominent authoritative positions. The report, conducted by the University of California at Irvine in conjunction with the National Science Foundation, says importance of these positions is often downplayed in these situations. Women in the study "attributed the persistence of gender inequality not to biology but to a professional environment in which university administrators care more about the appearance than the reality of gender equality and a professional culture based on a traditional, linear male model ."  Quiet Desperation Read more about the report and possible solutions [from June, 2008 AWIS Washington Wire; updated July 2009]

Gender equity = Higher scores A report released by Science magazine correlated gender bias with mathematics scores. They found in gender equal cultures the gender gap within math scores shrinks while the reading gender gap widens in favor of women. Cultures were classified by several conditions of gender equity which varied greatly according to culture. Conditions included: the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index (GGI), an index of cultural attitudes toward women, the rate of female economic activity reflected by the percentage of women age 15 and older who supply, or are available to supply, labor for the production of goods and services, and a political empowerment index computed by the World Economic Forum measuring females political participation. These four variables correlated highly. “DIVERSITY: Culture, Gender, and Math”Guiso et al.
Science 30 May 2008: 1164-1165
DOI: 10.1126/science.1154094
[from June, 2008 AWIS Washington Wire; posted June 23, 2008]

Supreme Court Decision Impacts Women in Academia Women in academia suffer from significant pay disparities in the workplace even when they hold the same rank as men. The recent Ledbetter decision by the United States Supreme Court holds a number of important lessons for women in academia. [Updated July 2009]

Case Study on Gender Bias at the Postdoc Level A recent statistical study of a particle physics experiment group explores how gender bias affects the career advancements of women in physics at the postdoc level. The study shows that females are, on average, significantly more productive than their male peers, but are given only about a third the amount of conference presentations based on their productivity. To view a pre-print of the study: http://arxiv.org/abs/0804.2026 [From April 2008 AWIS Washington Wire] [updated July 2009]

Past Award Laureates Commit to Help Women in Science
In March, 2008, nearly forty past L'ORÉAL-UNESCO award laureates reunited in Paris, France to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the L'ORÉAL-UNESCO awards, which are the first international awards devoted to women scientists. The event was marked with the signing of a special charter designed to promote science, support the cause of women, and change the face of science in the world, the Charter of Commitment "For Women in Science." New Charter Launched by L'ORÉAL-UNESCO [From April 2008 AWIS Washington Wire] [updated July 2009]

Gender Matters Being first a female scientist and then a male scientist has given Professor Ben Barres a unique perspective on the debate over why women are so rare at the highest levels of academic science and math.  Read his News and Views article from Nature by clicking the Quick Link located top right of this page, entitled "Ben A. Barres Article: Does Gender Matter?".  A video recording of his March, 2008 presentation entitled “Some Reflections on the Dearth of Women in Science” is made available by the Office of Faculty Development & Diversity at Harvard University; the URL for the video recording is given below.  You will need RealPlayer software, which you can download for free. Sections of the video: 

•          Introduction & acknowledgements by Dr. Liza Cariaga-Lo, Assistant Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity at Harvard University: first 5 min.

•          Introduction by Dr. Barbara Grosz, Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences at Harvard: 5-12 min.

•          Presentation by Dr. Ben Barres: 12 min – 1 hr. 19 min.

•          Q & A: 1 hr. 20 min – 1 hour 49 min.

Video Recording:
http://stream.fas.harvard.edu/ramgen/permanent/HCWC/Ben_Barres_HCWC_20080317.rm [Posted Apr. 2008]

Women in U.S. Academic Medicine Statistics and Medical School Benchmarking 2006-2007 is provided by the AAMC as an overview of gender differences among students, residents, and faculty. Responses to an annual survey were provided by Women Liaison Officers, Faculty Roster Representatives, and Faculty Affairs Representatives from 109 of 125 medical schools http://www.aamc.org/members/wim/statistics/stats07/start.htm [posted 4/08]

The Representation of Women on the Editorial Boards of Major Medical Journals: A 35-Year Perspective: Jagsi and colleagues rigorously examine the representation of women as editors and editorial board members of 16 major biomedical journals that published research from 1970 through 2005. Arch Intern Med.2008;168(5):544-548[posted 3/08]

New Study Suggests Current Journal Practices are Biased Against Female Authors Traditional single-blind peer review practices hinder the number of women authors who get their work published. [from MentorNet News, posted 3/08]
http://www.mentornet.net/news/newsart.aspx?nid=32&sid=1

The Mentoring Gap for Women in Science  Differences between the ways male and female science students relate to mentors could have a significant impact on efforts to attract more women to certain fields, according to a new study focused on chemistry and published in the journal Sex Roles. [from MentorNet News, posted 3/08]
http://www.mentornet.net/news/newsart.aspx?nid=32&sid=2

How to Fix a Leaky Pipeline No, we are not referring to the leaky pipeline under your sink. We are talking about the leaky pipeline Phoebe Leboy, PhD., President of the Association for Women in Science, uses in this months' The Scientist to describe why so few women scientists are in the top positions in our nation's leading research institutions. At the end of 2006, Harvard Medical School, for example, had no women in tenure-track in the cell biology and biochemistry/ molecular pharmacology department. Dr. Leboy presents her recommendations for "fixing the leaky pipeline." Fixing the Leaky Pipeline [posted February 15, 2008]

MIT Tenure Parity Nonexistent Despite the university's purported focus on attracting more women to academia in the last decade, only 16 percent of tenured faculty at MIT are female (up from 10.5 percent in 1997). Additionally, only one of the 26 faculty members granted tenure so far this academic year has been a woman. So what's MIT going to do about it? [from Dec.’07 Washington Wire] So much for practicing what you preach? [posted February 15, 2008]

An Equation for Success Reykjavik University in Iceland is reaping rewards from its innovations: it equalized pay for men and women, placed women in high-ranking leadership positions, and is emphasizing interdisciplinary work and communication. The result is that 95 percent of its staff is happy in their jobs [from Dec.’07 Washington Wire]. Innovation up north [posted February 15, 2008]

Women and Scientific Achievement This lengthy but thorough article reviews much of the current scientific literature on cognitive sex differences, and examines studies that have shown there is a bias against women in the sciences. Whatever your opinions on these issues, the article's authors present a large volume of information with which every woman in science should be familiar. [from Dec.’07 Washington Wire] More fuel for the fire? [posted February 15, 2008]

Study reveals reason for women’s departure from the sciences  Women scientists are not pursuing advanced research careers because of a heavier burden of family  responsibility and lower confidence compared to men, according to a study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of its own research staff appearing in the November 2007 issue of the "EMBO Reports". The first author is Elisabeth D. Martinez who is now an instructor in the Department of Pharmacology here at UT Southwestern. http://www.nature.com/embor/journal/v8/n11/full/7401110.html [posted November 19, 2007]

One who made it through the glass ceiling The first female president of Duke's medical school, Dr. Nancy Andrews, reflects on the hubbub caused by her appointment. She considers how the culture of medicine has and has not changed, and the importance of leveling the playing field for women in academia as well as corporate America. [from Nov. 2007 AWIS Washington Wire]:. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/19/1887 [posted Dec. 19, 2007]

Women can't win  Too bold, too meek, too strong, too weak-women are never perceived as "just right" when it comes to their behavior on the job, or so the data suggests. This New York Times article surveys several recent studies and attempts to make sense of the conflicting signals women are sent about how they should act in order to get ahead. [from AWIS Washington Wire, Nov. 2007] http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/01/fashion/01WORK.html?_r=2&ex=1194580800&en=91feaf95fabced83&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin&oref=slogin [posted Dec. 19, 2007]

Salary Supplement for Child Care Stanford has become the first university to offer a salary supplement to help pre-tenure faculty with child care. [posted 5/07]
http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2007/april25/kidcare-042507.html?view=print