Hot off the press...

How can research institutions and funding agencies best address gender-specific barriers in scientific research? A new article published in the Nov 8th issue of Science magazine recommends specific policy changes and processes to address sexual harassment, unconscious bias, and cultural prejudices. The major recommendations are: 

  • Treat sexual harassment in a manner parallel to scientific misconduct

  • Require investigators to disclose harassment findings and settlements to funding agencies and potential employers

  • Establish mechanisms to protect the careers of harassment victims

  • Require transparency in start-up packages, salaries, and internal grant funding

  • Foster work-life balance through family-friendly policies (examples provided)

  • Advance the careers of women with fair distribution of workloads, and avoiding all male advancement panels 

  • Promote and ensure effective mentorship

We know policies don’t change without pressure from all directions. So let’s speak up! Please

  • Be informed about how the policies would be implemented, read the paper (takes 5 minutes)

  • Retweet this post and include the link to the open access paper (https://science.sciencemag.org/content/366/6466/692.full). Tell us why policy change is important to you (be specific or broad).

  • If you feel comfortable doing so, e-mail a copy of this paper to those who can influence policy (e.g. your advisor/boss/department head, VPR, provost, president, grant program managers).

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