Women and Research in Physics: competition for Italian secondary schools

Climate change is intensifying extreme events. In 2023 alone, there have been floods, heat waves, wildfires, and other events – in many different countries, impacting many different people. It is time to discuss the role of gender in societies affected by these events, and within academic communities. As well as the gender dynamics of the relationship between science and society. On 8 November 2023, Guiliana Rubbia shared her extensive experience of gender equality in the male-dominated field of eart science through the MINDtheGEPs Open Forum. 

To lay the foundation for Gender Equality Plans in research organisations, MINDtheGEPs has collected various types of data to understand and address the multiple intersecting barriers. The initial step involved analysing the strengths and weaknesses of each national context. But there’s also the local, organisational context to bear in mind. We have conducted interviews, collected data and conducted a web survey to make sure we have the information we need to develop context-sensitive Gender Equality Plans. Our reports on these topics are now available for download. 

Addressing gender imbalances in academia and research institutions is crucial to advance women's careers and foster diverse and inclusive research environments. This second policy brief in the MINDtheGEPs brief series explores positive action, also known as positive discrimination or affirmative action, as a means to tackle this challenge. With insights from the Gender Equality Plan development process and interviews conducted by MINDtheGEPs, we share the arguments for and against such measyres, and present two case studies from Italian universities.

Climate change is intensifying extreme events. In 2023 alone, there have been floods, heat waves, wildfires, and other events – in many different countries, impacting many different people. It is time to discuss the role of gender in societies affected by these events, and within academic communities. As well as the gender dynamics of the relationship between science and society. On 8 November 2023, Giuliana Rubbia from the National Institute of Geophysics & Vulcanology of Italy will present her work in the MINDtheGEPs Open Forum. 

The Fahrenheit Universities (FarU) Women's Club's second Board of Directors meeting took place on 25 September 2023. During this meeting, club members discussed the program of forthcoming activities and the club's working methods. Founded in June 2023, the club champions gender equality among female researchers and employees from three Gdańsk universities: Medical University of Gdańsk, Technical University of Gdańsk, and University of Gdańsk. Their mission involves promoting gender equality, recognizing women's contributions, and fostering an inclusive academic environment. 

Claudia Goldin, an economist at Harvard University, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for her pioneering work on American women's labor participation and the gender wage gap. She is the third woman and the first to win independently. And this particular win underlines the importance of work in MINDtheGEPs: taking a context-sensitive approach to gender equality. 

Inequality is not just a bad feeling that some may have, but a bad reality that we share.  Uppsala University's Ethics Blog writes about how the approach in MINDtheGEPs can inspire other organisations. Because without data, we risk viewing inequality as a feeling rather than the fact it is.

The Perspektywy Women in Tech summit 2023 is the biggest conferences and career fairs for women in tech in Europe and Asia. This year’s event attracted 11 000 participants and 500 speakers in a unique meeting of women from science, business and technology in Europe. MINDtheGEPs partner University of Gdańsk participated with the presentation “How to build a gender balanced ecosystem with the support of European projects?”.

MINDtheGEPs goal is to achieve gender equality in research organizations by addressing systematic and cultural imbalances, by focusing on fixing the system, not the women. The University of Belgrade’s School of Electrical Engineering, ETF, has recently launched a webpage dedicated to gender equality as a part of their efforts to promote and prioritize this issue. 

It became evident early on that the Covid-19 pandemic did not affect all researchers equally. As a response, the European Commission (EC) initiated the ERAvsCORONA Action Plan to effectively synchronize efforts within the European Union and assist the scientific community in trying times. Lucio Pisacane, part of the MINDtheGEPs consortium, was one of the Commission’s panel of experts on the topic. The outcomes of their investigations are now outlined in a report and a factsheet.

In MINDtheGEPS, the Jagiellonian University’s institute of Sociology and the Department of Security Safety and Equal Treatment work together to close the gender gap in research. With their help, we have translated our recently issued policy brief, offering recommendations for how to build evidence-based recommendations for gender equality plans in Polish.

MINDtheGEPs partner University of Gdańsk solidifies its leading position in Poland in the prestigious comprehensive and evolving world rankings Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings. In one year, they moved up 200 positions in the gender equality ranking, from 201-300 to 13th place. This is the highest ranking of any Polish university. In an article published on their website, they attribute some of their success to EU-funded research projects MINDtheGEPs, ResBios and ACT.

The Italian National Research Council (CNR) has taken a significant step towards promoting gender equality by appointing their first Gender Equality Officer, Ilaria Di Tullio. The position is new, and was created as a result of the CNR Gender Plan: a policy document aimed at promoting gender equality within the Council and its institutes.

The National Research Council (CNR) and the National Institute of Nuclear Physics are organising the third edition of a competition on Women and Research in Physics: between gender stereotypes and professions of the future. On 29 May, the winner will be announced in connection with CNR's 10 year anniversary.

Facts and figures helps us take the cultural and structural actions needed to achieve gender equality. MINDtheGEPs partners are developing and implementing Gender Equality Plans (or ‘GEPs’), built on data from across the organisation. On 12 May 2023, we presented results and policy recommendations from our mapping of the push and pull factors that are (de)constructing gender inequalities across a research career, and on different levels. Why? Because gender is a social structure that is characterized by multiple intersected barriers, requiring multiple intersected actions to be removed.

Today, trainers from across MINDtheGEPs partner organisations are meeting in Belgrade to discuss gender in relation to scientific publication, covering both research themes and teams. The workshop will result in a set of guidelines for gendering scientific publications that will be made available to the European research community.

The University of Belgrade’s school of Electrical Engineering, ETF, is one of the leading higher educational and research institutions in the field of electrical engineering and computer science in South Europe. They are co-leading MINDtheGEPs efforts to include the gender perspective in research and teaching. In preparation for our upcoming Train the Trainers workshop in Belgrade, the team has translated our recent policy brief to Serbian, offering recommendations for how to build an evidence-based foundation for gender equality plans.

MINDtheGEPs includes partners from seven European countries and aims to empower women in decision-making in research organisations. One of our partners, Automotive Technology Centre of Galicia, CTAG, is located in Spain and whose team will be contributing to the project’s efforts. With their help, we have translated our recent policy brief to Spanish, offering recommendations for how to build an evidence-based foundation for gender equality plans for all Spanish speaking countries!

Diversity is a crucial factor in advancing both scientific and societal progress. This was highlighted in a MINDtheGEPs Open Forum discussion on 21 March 2023 with Antje Vollmer, head of the working group “Training, Outreach and Dissemination” of LEAPS, the League of the European Accelerator-based Photon Sources in Europe. The conversation focused on two key aspects of diversity: creating an atmosphere of acceptance, respect and trust, and promoting barrier-free cooperation. The discussion also delved into specific actions in initiatives required to foster inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-discrimination, and how science can facilitate more inclusive cooperation by removing existing barriers.

Facts and figures helps us take the cultural and structural actions needed to achieve gender equality. MINDtheGEPs partners are developing and implementing Gender Equality Plans (or ‘GEPs’, built on data from across the organisation. On 12 May 2023, at 10 CEST we present results and policy recommendations from our mapping of the push and pull factors that are (de)constructing gender inequalities across a research career, and on different levels. Why? Because gender is a social structure that is characterized by multiple intersected barriers, requiring multiple intersected actions to be removed. 

Facts and figures strengthen our ability to undertake cultural and structural actions towards Gender Equality. The first in a series of policy briefs from MINDtheGEPs builds on data from 7 research organisations, providing evidence-based recommendations for how to build an evidence-based foundation for gender equality plans (GEPs) in research performing organizations, based on the assumption that without data, there will be no policy.

Despite good results in higher education, women are under-represented in STEM disciplines. This year, Springer Nature is partnering with the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics and the National Research Council (CNR) to put a spotlight on women in physics, organising in a competition to recognise the next generation of Italian researchers.

Are you interested in gender data gaps, gendered innovations and social biases in research and innovation processes? Then the Voices summer school on “Breaking the Bias: Inspire Diversity in R&I” 5-7 July in Athens might be the place for you! Don't miss the scholarship application deadline: 2 April 2023.

To promote gender-sensitive research, the MINDtheGEPs team at University of Gdańsk has instituted an annual award called I include gender in research. The prize is awarded the master and doctoral theses at the university from the last academic year that best include a gender perspective in their research.

As a part of their MINDtheGEPs effort, the University of Gdańsk will offer individual mentoring for academics at different stages in their career. The mentoring programme, developed by the Centre for Teaching Excellence and Tutoring, will support planning of publications, grants, teaching and other career decisions in ways that take gender equality into account.

On 21 March, we invite Antje Vollmer, Head of the Task Force IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-discrimination) of LEAPS, the League of the European Accelerator-based Photon Sources. In the context of the MINDtheGEPs Open Forum, she will share two important aspects of diversity in research: activities and actions on inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-discrimination, and the role of science in lowering barriers for inclusive cooperation.

The University of Belgrade’s  School of Electrical Engineering is the oldest and the highest ranking higher education institution in Serbia in the field of electrical engineering and computer science. It was also one of the first Serbian institutions that adopted a gender equality plan. Data collected in the initial phase of MINDtheGEPs have been crucial for developing a gender equality plan that is tailored to address challenges that are specific to STEM fields in general, and particular to the organisational structure and culture.

The Advocates & Allies programme adapted by the THRIVE (Towards Hiring, Resources, Inclusion, Value, and Excellence) project at East Carolina University aims to change the institution’s structures and processes by educating privileged faculty members about equality and equity matters. At the MINDtheGEPs Open Forum on 14 December, the Advocates & Allies programme leadership shared how they implemented the programme, building a cohort of advocates and allies that were likely to bring their individual transformation to an institutional one.

Back in 2013, Centro Tecnológico de Automoción de Galicia, also known as CTAG, was one of the first Spanish organisations to establish a gender equality plan. CTAG is now looking to update the plan, adding insights and actions from the MINDtheGEPs project.

A good mentor can help young researchers decipher the inner workings of academia, and support career choices. Mentors can also help navigate the gender assumptions and logics behind hiring and promotion processes, how academic excellence is defined, and how the university and departments work. Together with the Re-UNITA project, MINDtheGEPs is launching a mentoring programme at the University of Turin. The programme is open to both men and women in early stages of their career and forms part of the university’s gender equality plan.

On 20^th October MINDtheGEPs held its first Open Forum, where Oxana Mishina from MINDtheGEPs partner CNR presented the equality work at the Quantum Flagship project. The Open Forum series invites MINDtheGEPs members as well as the public to listen to experienced keynote presenters and engage in discussions. The hope is to inspire participants to exchange knowledge and share insights, and Oxana Mishina’s presentation did just that.

The National Research Council of Italy (CNR) is the largest public research institution in Italy. As a partner in MINDtheGEPs, the organisation is committed to implementing a gender equality plan. An effort that requires capacity building for staff across the organisation, and identifying advocates. In spring 2022, CNR leadership signed a first gender equality plan, and launched a call to identify individuals who could take on the role to train colleagues and to support implementation.

One very common experience among those working to promote gender equality is that the work is predominately driven by women. Sustainable change requires having everyone on board. On 14 December, MINDtheGEPs is organising an Open Forum on leveraging privilege, advocates, allies and gender equality in universities. Allison S. Danell, Stephanie M. George, Andrew T. Morehead Jr. and Kristen Myers from the THRIVE project at East Carolina University will share findings from their approach to engaging privileged faculty and campus leaders.

MINDtheGEPs hosts a series of Open Forum discussions on gender equality in the academic and research & innovation sector. The aim of the forum is to facilitate knowledge exchange and mutual learning among scholars, practitioners and professionals supporting gender equality polices and measures. The first in the series is focused on equality, diversity and inclusion in quantum technologies, with a keynote presentation by Oxana Mishina, theoretical physicist from the National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Optics (CNR-INO). Remember to mark your calendars for an opportunity to listen, learn and discuss on 20 October between 12-13:30!

The gender distribution varies between career stages at most European universities. The lack of women at the top is one of the key areas addressed by MINDtheGEPs gender equality plans. The University of Gdańsk recently appointed a new Vice Rector for Cooperation and Development, Professor Sylwia Mrozowska, bringing gender balance to the Rector’s Collegium.

This summer, prominent women in science from universities in the Daniel Fahrenheit Association in Gdańsk have been featured in the exhibition Pioneers, researchers, leaders: Women of Gdańsk science. The aim of the exhibition is to inspire more women to pursue careers in science, looking towards the future through a historical lens.

Supporting women in their decisions to take on leadership roles is crucial in order to achieve gender equality in decision making bodies. The University of Belgrade’s School of Electrical Engineering​ recently appointed Assistant Professor Aleksandra Krstić Vice-Dean for Academic Affairs. In addition to the competence and capacity she will contribute to the School of Electrical Engineering, this appointment supports the gender mainstreaming efforts at the University of Belgrade – where female leaders will also play an important role as models to inspire others.

Balancing the many expectations that come with an academic career and raising a family can be challenging. In an effort to support their staff in finding a balance between private and scientific life, Professor Natailia Trzonkowska the Director of the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science (ICCVS) at University of Gdańsk recently opened a children’s play room – a direct result of the university’s commitment to the MINDtheGEPs project and Gender Equality Plan for the University of Gdańsk.

On Monday 20 June, we welcome you to an international workshop on gender equality in research performing organisations, focusing on strategies, negotiation and sustainability. The event is organised together with the LeTSGEPs project and will take place both in Belgrade and online. The event his hosted by the Mathematical Institute of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MI SANU) and University of Belgrade, School of Electrical Engineering, partner in both projects. 

Last week, MINDtheGEPs organised a two day training workshop to build capacity for sustainable change in partner organisations. Between 7-8 June, Around 50 people met in Vigo to discuss basic concepts and tools to promote organisational change, and how situated knowledge can support the implementation of gender equality plans.  

Working from home puts stress on families, and affects men and women in different ways. Preliminary data from a qualitative study on working conditions in academia during the pandemic from the Jagiellonian University were presented at the recent Social Boundaries of Work international conference held in Lublin, Poland. The data indicates that Polish academics experience ambivalences that stem from competing demands for them as professionals and care givers.

University of Gdansk is introducing and monitoring the implementation of an antidiscrimination policy, building an academic community based on a science culture of equality and devising and implementing a coherent system for monitoring progress made in the direction of gender equality. According to the MINDtheGEPs team at University of Gdansk, the gender equality plan is an important part of the university’s strategy for 2020-2025. 

Our detailed and diverse approach to data collection uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative instruments at national, organisational and individual level (what the researchers call macro, meso, and micro level). Partners have put in a lot of work. Both the core teams at each partner organisation and the administrative officers involved to support their work. Learn all about it in our latest newsletter! 

MINDtheGEPs partners share the common challenge of modifying their institutions. This includes taking action to counteract the structures and cultures that currently uphold gender imbalances in each partner organisation. This will be achieved by implementing gender equality plans. And for those plans to work out, we need capacity-building on gender equality within partner organisations. The 7 MINDtheGEPs partners implementing gender equality plans will offer training in their organisation. In June, we meet in Vigo, Spain, to transfer knowledge between partners, and educate our respective local trainers to ensure a common vision. 

MINDtheGEPs is made up of many different kinds of research organisations: public and private, big and small, STEM and SSH. All embedded in different national and regional contexts. According to Cristina Solera, MINDtheGEPs coordinator and professor of Sociology at the Department of Cultures, Politics and Society at the University of Turin, the MINDtheGEPs gender audits have allowed us to figure out our differences and similarities. 

Gender is performed at all levels and in all parts of an organisation. To capture how inequalities are formed and reproduced, we need many different kinds of data. MINDtheGEPs is about to conclude its data collection process. We have looked at the national, organisational and individual levels, using qualitative and quantitative methods, at seven partner organisations. We talked to MINDtheGEPs coordinator Cristina Solera about the findings so far. 

The pandemic forced a reorganisation of work. With researchers and teachers working from home, many universities found themselves facing new challenges. As did their staff. The results from a large online survey study from members of the MINDtheGEPs team at University of Turin reveals the realities of 6 000+ people working at Italian universities forced to work from home during the pandemic, and the real-life consequences of the pandemic on work in the academy. 

MINDtheGEPs partners share the common challenge of modifying their institutions. With our detailed and diverse approach to data collection, with a mix of qualitative and quantitative instruments at national, organisational and individual level (what the researchers call macro, meso, and micro level), partners have put in a lot of work. Both the core teams at each partner organisation and the administrative officers involved to support their work. But neither data collection nor data analyses and policy development are neutral: to design successful Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) for real change, you need a certain vision for gender equality in research. 

MINDtheGEPs is joining forces with Gender-SMART for the third MINDtheGEPs forum. On 28 February, Nathalie Wuiame, a member of the Gender-SMART consortium and Yellow Window trainer, will offer a training on effective policies to prevent gender-based violence and sexual harassment in research organisations. 

Today, 11 February, is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We celebrated by sending our first project newsletter to show how MINDtheGEPs unites 10 organisations working to create the prerequisites for women and girls to become and exceed as researchers and innovators.