International Women's Day 2022 #BreakTheBias

 


International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. This year we are called upon to #BreakTheBias.

From the International Women's Day 2022 website: "Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias."

On 8 March we had a fantastic panel (Cheyenne Polius, Fiona Turner, Gillian Gehring, Lee Kenny and Steph Edwards) to talk around the IWD2022 theme of Break The Bias. The panel members came from a wide range of industries and backgrounds, and it was really exciting that we were able to bring all this different expertise and perspective into the department. 

We know that gender bias and inequality is still prevalent in our society and our workplaces (e.g. Women in the Workplace 2020 study). This ranges from systemic inequalities such as the gender pay gap through to day-to-day discrimination and microaggressions. It is these day-to-day negative interactions that we, collectively, need to challenge. Whether it is outright sexist comments poorly "disguised" as banter or the more subtle but pervasive lack of speaking space in meetings, idea appropriation or stereotype-based assumptions, these instances should be challenged whenever they occur. 

I thought it was a very interesting and lively discussion and it was absolutely fascinating to hear all the different career stories and experiences. I thought too you might be interested in this link from the IOP and a couple of interesting blogs I've been reading this evening. Professor Carole Mundell discusses the prospects for women and girls in science and the University of Edinburgh Higgs Centre celebrates Elizabeth Gardner. 

Thanks again to all our speakers and I really look forward to working with all of them in the future to support our STEM students.


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