Londons Global University UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON.

London’s Global University

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

THE ATHENA ASSET SURVEY, SWAN CHARTER AND GENDER EQUALITY SCHEME WHERE NEXT FOR WOMEN IN SET AT UCL ?

Professor Jan Atkinson F. Med. Sci. UCL Athena SWAN Coordinator

Pro-Provost (North America)Visual Development Unit: UCL and OXFORD

[email protected]/vdu

www.ucl.ac.uk/global/n-america

Prof Janette Atkinson - Director VDU

Visual Development Unit

UCL & Oxford

adult vision

behaviour & EEG/ VEP (electrophysiology) -normal development

paediatric developmental

disordersadult

brain imaging(fMRI)

Translational research taking new methods and tests from lab to clinic

visual brain development

High density steady-state VERP recording-brain waves

•EGI Geodesic sensor net

•128 channels

•phase & amplitude of frequency components at F1 (2 Hz) and F2 (4 Hz) extracted from averaged signal in each channel

Williams Syndrome• 1 in 20,000 to 50,000 births

• abnormal morphology- ‘elfin’ like faces

• deletion on chromosome 7 (20 genes approximately including elastin – cardiovascular defects)

• cognitive deficits, most marked for visuo-spatial tasks with relatively fluent use of language (although initially delays across all domains)

• happy friendly disposition

• 200 WS children assessed in VDU

• model of WS different brain development

• new user-friendly tests (computer games)

DEVELOPMENT in PREMATURE INFANTS <32 weeks gestationFollowed up to 7 years- VISUAL, VISUOMOTOR, VISUO- COGNITIVE, ATTENTION, SPATIAL, LANGUAGE

Classification on term MRI (N=43)

MRI normal/mild N=17 mild DEHSI

MRI moderate N=12moderate DEHSI, mild VD, small infarct

MRI severe N=12severe DEHSI, cystic lesions,  significant VD (including after IVH)includes cystic PVL

Diffuse Excessive High Signal Intensity (DEHSI) present in white matterTransverse T2-weighted fast-spin echo images

Collaboration with Imperial College (Hammersmith Hospital)David Edwards, Mary Rutherford, Frances Cowan, Leigh Dyet

• The human visual brain is very adaptable and very interested in whether we ‘look’ like a male or female

• How does the brain’s perceptual systems recognize gender ?

(Dr Chris Benton, University of Bristol)

Adapt

Test

Adapt

Test

TEST FACE FEMALE ADAPT MALE ADAPT

Times Higher Education (THE) 13-19 March 2008

At the top, women still can’t get a break from stereotypes and ….

Press still puts their looks before achievementsCompare

Female : ‘the 55 –year old academic’s mane of blonde hair, her short, navy voluminous shirt ..teamed with a Vivienne Westwood jacket and knee-length boots, sets a high benchmark’

Female: ‘She is impressive, an immaculately groomed woman of 70 who could easily pass for 15 years younger’

with

Male: ‘His full white beard is worn more in homage to Charles Darwin than the Almighty’

UCL neuroscientist named as ‘Woman of Outstanding Achievement’, March 2008 (UKRC photographic portrait)

PROFESSOR UTA FRITH

UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience

London’s Global University

• Participant in ATHENA ASSET survey (2004,2006)• A Founder Signatory of the SWAN Charter• awarded Bronze SWAN Charter (2005)

Brief History of Athena SWAN in UCL:

• 2003-4 JA suggests to Provost that Gender Equality Issues are incorporated into White Paper

• 2004 JA sets up AAG (Athena Advisory Group) and joins UCL into ASSET survey

• 2005-6 Provost ‘Champion’- SWAN Charter as Founder Signatory.

JA leads AAG/ SWAN SAT (Self Assessment Team) for SWAN Charter submission

Charter (Bronze) Award in 2006

The Athena Advisory group :

• group of UCL academics in SET, combined with UCL HR Equality team to discuss gender equality in SET and act as champions for disseminating equality initiatives within UCL

• devise ways to put into practice evidence-based initiatives arising from ASSET survey

• Work with SWAN SAT (self assessment team) to prepare for SWAN charter recognition

• liaise with colleagues in national and international HEI’s e.g Cambridge day, Athena lectures

respondents

0

50

100

150

200

con

trac

tre

sear

ch/

po

std

oc

lect

ure

r

sen

ior

lec/

read

er

pro

fess

or

women

men

ASSET survey 2004 – career development of women and men in SET

disciplines ~ 2500 in UCLUCL with ~500 responses - highest number in UK

F>M, good responses across levels

ASSET survey 2004 (also UCL Staff Survey) 1. GETTING IN Transition from short term contract research

to lecturer is a critical hurdle for both men and women- MORE GUIDANCE/ MENTORING REQUIRED

2. GETTING BACK women more likely than men to have taken career break- Maternity /carers

NEED IMPROVED ARRANGEMENTS TO MAINTAIN CONTACT WHILE AWAY, INCREASED FLEXIBILITY- RETURNERS 3. GETTING ON –many women perceive less encouragement

to apply for promotions and less good prospects, they are not put forward for executive senior committees

BREAKING THE GLASS/CONCRETE/ CEILING -CULTURE CHANGE NEEDED

Example . from ASSET (2004) survey responses:

• Professors are 4:1 men: women but Heads of Departments are 7:1

• 33% of male professors serve on high level executive committees –<1% of female professors

SWAN SUBMISSION : UCL INITIATIVES related to SWAN Charter principles

• Use of data from UCL ASSET and UCL Staff Survey (UCL HR Equality Team) to consider new initiatives

Plan and expand :

• senior committees gender- balance improvements

• mentoring/management schemes • new Departmental Equality Action Plans related to gender (EO –HR)• detailed annual workforce monitoring• ‘Celebration of Champions in SET’ events in UCL

age at appointment of current lecturers

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1 2

age appt F

age appt M

women appointed older than men – and average is after age that families are completed

Using stats from workforce monitoring

increase in % female students (F>M) and now steady

UCL total student numbers

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

1995

-96

1997

-98

1999

-00

2001

-02

2003

-04

2005

-06

2007

-08

Graduate

Undergraduate

% female students (all subjects)

40%

45%

50%

55%

1995

-96

1997

-98

1999

-00

2001

-02

2003

-04

2005

-06

2007

-08

% female

undergraduate

graduate

Rise in female students in SET faculties1995 2007

students by gender in UCL SET faculties, 1995-6

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000female

male

% female 36 44 16 60 33 RISING TO 47 56 25 66 39 BuEn BioMed Eng LS MAPS BuEn BioMed Eng LS MAPS

students by gender in UCL SET faculties, 2007-8

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Bui

ltE

nviro

nmen

t

Bio

med

ical

Sci

ence

s

Eng

inee

ring

Sci

ence

s

Life

Sci

ence

s

Mat

hem

atic

alan

d P

hysi

cal

Sci

ence

s

female

male

% women in academic grades2005 - 2007

Lecturers

0

50

100

150

200

250

2005 2006 2007

female

male

Senior Lecturers

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

2005 2006 2007

Readers

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

2005 2006 2007

Professors

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2005 2006 2007

15 17 19

% female% female profs increasing ?

% women in research grades2005 - 2007

Research Fellows

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

2005 2006 2007

female

male

Principal Research Fellows

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

2005 2006 2007

Senior Research Fellows

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

2005 2006 2007

32 38 34

% femaleNo change

number of maternity leaves

maternity leave

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

2005 2006 2007*

academic

research

*pro rata from 1st 4 months

rise in maternity leave – more taking it or more pregnancies ?

SOME OF THE CHALLENGES

• Culture and tradition in labs for males/females

• School – only in school half the day and half the year – need

better holiday/after school schemes and/or more flexible working hours for parents

• Career breaks: Loss to research groups of highly specialized

team members for maternity leave or carers’ responsibility Specialized SET cannot easily be ‘substituted’ for periods under 1 year and grants cannot necessarily be extended

Government Gender Equality Scheme

• 2007 Two senior academics (Prof Jan Atkinson – UCL Athena Coordinator / Pro- Provost for North America and Prof Christine Hawley – Dean, Built Environment) appointed by Provost to take strategic responsibility for Gender Equality Scheme, working with :

Fiona McLean (Coordinator for Equal Opportunities) and HR team and UCL GES Working Group on:

• submission of UCL’s Gender Equality Scheme (2007)

• mainstreaming its initiatives

• overseeing Impact Assessment.

PRESENT AND FUTURE

• Life: work balance schemes including male:female work balance (Norway example of paternity: maternity leave)

• Further mainstreaming and impact assessment of new schemes

• Training scheme in equality issues for managers / research advisors /supervisors

• • Widening participation schemes in Primary as well as Secondary Schools

to encourage girls in SET• • Celebration of Champions Events

• Submission of UCL and individual departments for Silver SWAN AWARDS in 2009

But things have improved a little :

• Just over 30 years ago I was pregnant with my first child in Cambridge. I was a postdoc working in a small group with a very traditional older male supervisor

• I asked about ‘maternity leave’ from the ‘ Old Schools’ (HR- Cambridge University)

• • I was told that ‘academic ladies arrange their births to fall in the ‘Long

Vacation’ ’ ( Summer- out of Term time)

• My 4 children were born in the Long Vacation , but it was not planned !

End

Thank you!

Visual Development Unit logo

Speakers in 1st Session:

• Professor Peter Main, Director of Education and Science, Institute of Physics

• Dr Caroline Fox, Programme Manager of former Athena Project at The Royal Society and ..

• Sarah Dickinson, Science Policy and Diversity Specialist, Royal Society of Chemistry

• Professor Debbie Sharp, Professor of Primary Health Care, University of Bristol Chair of Women in Clinical Academia

further analysis from ASSET e.g.

• age/seniority profile for men & women (UCL annual workforce monitorin for SET disciplines)

• career development of those who have children (scrutinize current policy documents/ advice given /mentoring/peer assistance)

• relation of perceived promotion opportunities to reality (compare years to promotion in different grades by sex/children)

• gender composition of appointments panels/ senior committees ( UCL CEO study 2003- top 16 UCL committees- e.g. ethnicity and gender balance on Academic Board- senior committee)

   POSSIBLE NAMES FOR ATHENA ADVISORY GROUP- AAGCAWSET  (said 'corset‘) Committee for Academic Women in Science, Engineering and Technology

• WETS- Women in Engineering, Technology and Science • TWINSET- Team Working IN Science, Engineering and

Technology• STEW-  Science, Technology and Engineering Women  • WISTERIA- Women In Science, Technology and Engineering

Review in Academia  • WASTED - Women Academics - Science, Technology and

Engineering Debates• FAIRER SET- Female Academics' Internal  Review of Equality

Recommendations  in Science Engineering and Technology • SETTEE- Science, Engineering and Technology- Thinking about

Engaging in Equality