Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 09:29:12 -0500 (EST)
Subject: CSWA Newsletter of 4/5/2000
To: AASMAIL: ;
AAS Committee on the Status of Women
weekly issues of 4/ 5/2000, ed. by Priscilla Benson
*** send email and addresses to aaswomen
wellesley.edu ***
This week's issues:
1. More on Women Speakers at Conferences
2. Conference on Women and Science
3. Sexual harassment of Canadian space researcher
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1. More on Women Speakers at Conferences
From: Kris Sellgren sellgrenastronomy.ohio-state.edu
Right on Vera! I never thought of tearing up those
ubiquitous conference posters that never list any
significant number of women speakers, or of sending angry e-
mail directly to the conference organizer. This is much
more effective action than complaining to the AAS women's
network about inequities, which is preaching to the
converted.
Avi's response was totally inadequate. 5 women invited out
of a total of 45 invited speakers, that he was so proud of,
was still only 10% women. That still has women astronomers
underrepresented by a factor of 2 to 3, even if all of the
women invitees had said yes, which they didn't. Did it
occur to him to ask other women astronomers to fill in for
those who had previous commitments? Even I, whose research
is far from cosmology, can think of half a dozen women he
could have asked instead.
I have been fighting some variation of this battle for 25
years; Vera, you have been fighting for much longer. It
seems like all the progress that has been made is that the
men *say* they are not discriminating. But in our graduate
program, we lose a much higher fraction of women graduate
students (50%!) than male graduate students. Of our women
who have earned PhDs in the last 8 years, 100% (!) have left
astronomy after their first postdoc. Larger studies have
confirmed this trend, of a higher fraction of women dropping
out at every level from high school math to postdocs. And
now we have the MIT report, which documents how senior women
faculty in science are systematically discriminated against
within their departments, from lab space to salary to
teaching assignments to committee assignments. Invited
talks are yet another manifestation of the same problem.
Something is very very wrong with the system, at every stage
of our careers, and we need to figure out where the problems
lie and fix them.
Kris Sellgren
Ohio State University
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From: "Kathryn N. Mead" kmeadearthlink.net
Hi Vera,
Thank you so much for sharing your meeting poster
correspondence in AASWomen.
Clearly, this guy's awareness of social issues has not
reached its full potential. Dr. Loeb's response is a
classic.
He doesn't waste any time getting to the first stereotype,
"I am sorry that you were upset." Well, of course, Vera, the
problem is with _you_! You, like the rest of us are just so
sensitive and men are always sorry to have to deal with our
emotions.
Next, the ol' "we invited 5 women, but only 2 would come." I
guess it's enough to _try_ to get 5 women and if some choose
not to come, well, he's done his part, right? Once the
organizers have made a nominal effort, they are absolved of
any further responsibility. If we women don't want to go,
then that's our problem - there are plenty of men to take
our place.
As for his "very best intentions", well, my mother used to
tell me right where good intentions lead.
It is in no one's personal career interest to spend time or
clout promoting fairness and attending to social issues. It
is in one's career interest to get funding. If this meeting
is funded by public money, then the organizers are obligated
to not discriminate. Unfortunately, to get the attention of
people like this, it may be necessary to sue, even though
the plaintiffs would almost certainly lose. In other words,
if funds are at stake, perhaps that would motivate people to
do the "right" thing. (But probably not.) Obviously, direct
suggestions from one of the most eminent scientists in the
field is _not_ sufficient to raise awareness and instill
responsibility. (I wonder if he would have as oblivious if a
man had made this suggestion.)
Finally, I want to thank you for your unwavering support of
"women's issues." It is so validating and refreshing for me
to see a _senior_ woman speak out on these issues. It's so
much easier for women to take the Clarence Thomas approach
to success - to validate rather than question sub-maximal
social awareness.
Sincerely,
Kathy Mead
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2. Conference on Women and Science
From: WIPHYS Posting for Mar 28, 2000
CONFERENCE FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE, ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA,
June 30-July 2, 2000 - THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND THE
HUMANITIES: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE 21st CENTURY
The St.Petersburg Women Association in Science (SPWAS),
St.Petersburg Association of Scientists and Scholars
(SPASS), St.Petersburg Research Centre of the Russian
Academy (SPb RC) and St.Petersburg European University (SPb
EU) are organizing an International Conference
.
It will be held on June 30 - July 2, 2000, in St.Petersburg.
A growing awareness of ever increasing challenges to
humankind at the beginning of the millennium lies behind our
determination to provide a forum for women colleagues in
various spheres of science and the humanities where they
could voice their concerns and articulate their views on
various challenges facing us and ways of solving them as
seen and assessed by women. This does not exclude a possible
participation of male colleagues who might want to
contribute their vision of women's perspective roles in
solving the problems of the 21st century. The cultural
program will include visits to the world famous Hermitage
and other museums. We plan to hold several workshops which
will largely depend on the range of your interests. They may
cover such topics as social, political and economic changes
facing women due to globalization; women of science and
their role in the period of transition - in Russia and other
countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS);
women's specific role in science and the academia in the USA
and Europe. We expect papers devoted to the analysis and
assessment of scientific, psychological, statistical, legal
(copyright) and other aspects of women's role in the
scientific community. We will welcome presentations on such
topics as role challenges (woman as chief / woman as
subordinate); reconciling work and family; educating the
youth in science and scientific continuity; woman's role in
the international scientific community (participating in
international projects, conferences and societies); women
and environmental protection; perilous trends in the world's
social development.
For more information, contact:
Dr. Nelly Didenko,
Deputy Chairperson of the Organization Committee,
Co-Chairperson of SPWAS,
Learned Secretary of SPASS
http://www.nw.ru/SPWAS/
www.spass.st.-petersburg.ru
Co-Chairman Galina Merkulova
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3. Sexual Harassment of Canadian Space Researcher
From: mcgrathstsci.edu (Melissa McGrath)
Dear Colleagues,
As many of you will know, there has been significant press
in the past two weeks concerning the sexual harassment of
Canadian space researcher, Dr. Judith Lapierre, during an
isolation experiment in Russia. You can review the articles
in the Globe and Mail http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
The regional NSERC/Industry Chairs for Women in Science and
Engineering have responded to the President of the Canadian
Space Agency and to the Minister of Industry which oversees
the CSA.
We encourage you to also contact these individuals and the
Globe and Mail and to distribute this letter to interested
colleagues through your organizations.
Hon John Manley
Minister, Industry Canada
235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0H5
Telephone (613) 995-9001
Fax (613) 992-0302
Email manley.johnic.gc.ca
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End of CSWA Newsletter of 4/5/2000