| Issue 62 (WAIS 2) Contents
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Workshop 2B
Future Science - Young Women
and Careers
Anna Robinson
Session Chair
This was a highly interactive workshop that discussed the advantages and difficulties women face early in their careers in SET. Panellists spoke about their personal experiences and concerns about the future. There were suggested changes to the present science systems, how to make them more amenable to women’s lives; and what factors should be taken into account in making the decision to have a family.
Leisa Ridges, President of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations raised a range of issues around the Research Training Scheme (RTS), the program that allocates Commonwealth Government funding to institutions for postgraduate student places. The scheme has been operating since 2001 and among other things has reduced the duration of funding for each place. PhD places are now only funded for a maximum of 4 years and Master for 2 years. The scheme is based on efficiency rather than quality and is designed to favour those students most likely to complete on time. The RTS shorter time frame for completion has reduced flexibility for students and worked against part-timers and those who might need to take breaks during their degree, particularly women.
Nadine Di Bartolo and Jasjit Baveja both raised issues relating to optimised career paths that included having a family. Is there a right time? Does having a family mean relinquishing a career in science? Must it be a case of either/or, as present perceptions imply? Does age come into it?
Juliet Lloyd-Smith talked about mentoring, networking and the nature of future science (knowledge as a tradable good). The biggest challenge facing a young woman in a science career (other than entrenched attitudes) is a lack of appropriate role models in science and industry and isolation from peers. This leads onto other issues of intellectual property rights and trust/collaboration amongst colleagues, and ability to network across other sectors (eg industry) to find suitable “customers” for our research -the latter being essential in an increasingly mercantile CSIRO at least. The notion of “cross gender” mentoring was also explored; established-career female scientists mentoring early-career males, and vice versa. This would have multiple benefits, particularly in that our early-career male peers become accustomed to women in positions of influence/intellectual leadership, and perhaps develop a broader view of women in science.
There was much debate and discussion on all these issues but the dominant concern was the perception of family and career being mutually exclusive. Young women are also concerned about the consequences of non-continuous service, whether at the level of study (RTS) or later in their careers.
The workshop compared the negative connotations to taking time out to have a family with the positive attitudes to established scientists taking time out for sabbaticals, travel or long service leave. Instead, the two should be seen in parallel, with time out in either case representing an enriching experience rather than discontinuity. After having a family, women are often better prepared for leadership when they return to work due to the greater responsibility, management and organisational demands they have experienced. This is also where cross-gender mentoring could be very beneficial. Whether maternity or paternity leave is taken, a program involving cross-gender mentoring could help people quickly re-establish in the workforce.
The importance of networking was considered essential to continuing careers, whether in paid employment or not. Women should continue to maintain memberships of professional organisations, undertake professional activities where they can and stay connected.
The workshop reached a consensus view that time out from career is not unique to women. That those who take advantage of maternity or any other sort of leave should be encouraged back into science. Any break should be viewed as a life skills enriching experience and may contribute to better application when they return to work. The younger women expressed pleasure at hearing from their more experienced counterparts that they do have influence over their working environment, over these issues, and methods to change it for the better.
Recommendation 1
That the Research Training Scheme be revalued to increase, not decrease, access to flexibility of time; that how particularly women take advantage of part time degrees as the only option to completing a higher degree be highlighted; and that RTS funding to be brought into line with the real duration of postgraduate degrees, i.e. PhD for 5 years not 4, Masters for 3 years not 2.
Recommendation 2
That schemes be investigated to enable women to be more self-determining through the transitional phases of their lives.
WORKSHOP 2B PANELLISTS
Dr Anna Robinson
Anna Robinson is the present National Convenor of
WISENET. She works as a Post-doctoral Research
Fellow at the John Curtin School of Medical
Research at the Australian National University,
focusing on the structure and function of detoxifying
enzymes. She obtained her doctorate in protein engineering.
Dr Nadine Di Bartolo
Nadine De Bartolo obtained a Bachelor of Science
with Honours in Chemistry at James Cook University
in 1992. For the last ten years, her scientific
career at ANSTO has focused on the research and
development of radiopharmaceuticals (radioactive
drugs) to improve the quality of healthcare in
Australia. Part of this work was incorporated into
her PhD thesis entitled “Radiolabelling antibodies
for cancer diagnosis and treatment” recently submitted
through the Research School of Chemistry at the
Australian National University.
Ms Leisa Ridges
Leisa Ridges is the CAPA President for 2002. She has a BSc(Hons) in Biomedical Science from the University of Wollongong and is in the third year of her doctoral candidature, working on nutrient combinations and their effects on risk factors for heart disease. Over the last 3 years Leisa has taught a variety of nutrition and biomedical science subjects. She has also served on numerous sporting and University committees, the latter of which evolved from her involvement in postgraduate student politics. She was also previous Vice President of the Wollongong University Postgraduate Association.
Ms Jasjit Baveja
Jasjit Baveja is a PhD student at University of New South Wales. She is currently working with antimicrobials and biomaterials. Her background is biomedical engineering from the University of NSW.
