tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/sage-24715/articlesSAGE – The Conversation2023-12-07T17:28:06Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2192612023-12-07T17:28:06Z2023-12-07T17:28:06ZBoris Johnson at the COVID inquiry: sullen, evasive and a danger to democracy<p>Boris Johnson has <a href="https://theconversation.com/boris-johnson-a-terminal-case-of-hubris-syndrome-186495">lost his bounce</a>. As he gave evidence before the COVID inquiry, his body language arguably said far more than the often rambling statements that came out of his mouth. </p>
<p>Slumped in terms of physicality, slow in terms of intellectual responsiveness and sullen in terms of attitude, he was still unable to provide a clear explanation of how and why critical decisions were taken during the pandemic. </p>
<p>Looking like a schoolboy who had been called into his headmaster’s office, Johnson opened his testimony by offering an apology. He had failed to realise that COVID would be an “utter disaster” for Britain. </p>
<p>He was sorry for bereaved families and their “pain, loss and suffering”. The former prime minister said he would <a href="https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/boris-johnson-covid-inquiry-mistakes-excess-deaths/">“struggle to itemise”</a> his mistakes but insisted his government did its “best in very difficult circumstances”.</p>
<p>But how do we make sense of Johnson? And how does the COVID inquiry connect with this question?</p>
<p>The parameters and pathologies of Johnson’s personality are relatively well known by now. His assent to the leadership of the Conservative party and ultimately to the premiership was based upon a heady combination of celebrity status, charisma and charm. His willingness to play <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/feb/03/the-assault-on-truth-by-peter-oborne-review-boris-johnsons-lies">fast and loose with the truth</a> no doubt also played a part. </p>
<p>Attention to detail, serious reflection, stability (in either professional or personal dynamics) were never part of his skillset. He was a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/oct/13/boris-johnson-the-gambler-by-tom-bower-review-the-defining-secret">gambler</a>, or as his former director of communications put it, he was the <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/editorials/boris-johnson-covid-inquiry-hugo-keith-b2459556.html">“wrong prime minister at the wrong time”</a>.</p>
<p>It’s therefore no surprise that Johnson’s biggest single mistake was simply failing to grasp the scale of the crisis. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Protesters interrupt Johnson’s evidence to the COVID inquiry.</span></figcaption>
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<p>But the primary aim of the COVID inquiry is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/pa/article/74/2/483/5861499">to learn, not to blame</a>. Learning not to appoint individuals <a href="https://theconversation.com/dominic-cummings-has-exposed-a-hole-at-the-heart-of-the-british-government-and-a-glaring-problem-with-the-way-we-choose-prime-ministers-216793">who are clearly incompetent</a> to the position of prime minister may well be too political a conclusion for the inquiry to come to but it will undoubtedly lurk between every line and every page of the final report: as unwritten as it is obvious.</p>
<p>And yet there are far wider repercussions that must be acknowledged. As a seam of scholarship attests, public inquiries are also tasked with fulfilling a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09649069.2023.2243137">more cathartic or healing role</a>. </p>
<p>While this is most obvious in relation to <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003035268-7/truth-reconciliation-commission-south-africa-perspectives-prospects-barney-pityana">“truth and reconciliation”</a> commissions it is also a key component of more traditional statutory public inquiries. The COVID inquiry has embraced and innovated in this regard through its <a href="https://covid19.public-inquiry.uk/every-story-matters/">Every Story Matters</a> initiative, which invites members of the public to share their thoughts and experiences in order to inform the inquiry’s work and recommendations. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/George-Godfrey-2/publication/23680492_Catastrophic_antiphospholipid_syndrome_in_a_77-year-old_man/links/00b7d5350ee6f3150e000000/Catastrophic-antiphospholipid-syndrome-in-a-77-year-old-man.pdf?_sg%5B0%5D=started_experiment_milestone&origin=journalDetail&_rtd=e30%3D#page=100">Learning, not lynching</a> alongside broader societal sensemaking therefore form the twin ambitions of the inquiry. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/covid-inquiry-how-it-works-and-when-we-will-know-if-it-is-successful-217718">COVID inquiry: how it works, and when we will know if it is successful</a>
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<h2>Fuelling an anti-political backlash</h2>
<p>Among the apologies and angst there is a deeper danger lurking around the inquiry. How are the public to make sense of the evidence that the inquiry is collecting – the passing of bucks, the ducking of responsibility, the strategic scapegoating, <a href="https://quarterly.blog.gov.uk/2014/07/15/the-blunders-of-our-governments-review-by-sir-david-normington-gcb/">the blunders of our government</a> – in terms of preparation or performance? </p>
<p>The behaviour of the people who have given evidence so far – from advisers to ministers to the former prime minister himself – runs the very real risk of further fuelling of anti-political sentiment. This is a wider democratic dimension that has so far escaped discussion. </p>
<p>Sensemaking processes can be both positive and negative, critical and constructive. As research has revealed, on some occasions public inquiries can play a role in taming anger and helping healing. </p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.pon.harvard.edu/shop/dealing-with-an-angry-public-the-mutual-gains-approach-to-resolving-public-disputes/">dealing with an angry public</a> is far from easy, and inquiries can on occasion backfire if their conclusions are interpreted by the public as failing to make sense. This explains the link between public inquiries and long-standing accusations of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2006.00605.x?casa_token=ZUeguwFVXOcAAAAA:Mx52oIWRvwEYKwtaBoSpGHqX47J4FHFKuRHuPIQlCCLGWbRp1fw2fOraxNA_h_r_OWZZc1gbZFAalyc">blame-avoidance and whitewashing.</a></p>
<p>The contextual risk of the COVID inquiry is that it could exacerbate a pre-existing and apparently growing pool of anti-political sentiment. Levels of public trust in politicians, political processes and political institutions have been shown by a number of studies to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1368430220967986">correlate with effective societal responses.</a> People don’t comply if they don’t trust their political leaders. </p>
<p>So as the world focuses on the nuances of Johnson’s evidence to the COVID inquiry and seeks to deconstruct the discourses deployed and the performative tricks, they risk overlooking wider and more future-focused issues. What if the results of the inquiry add to the <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/trustingovernmentuk/2022">pre-existing sense amongst large sections of the public</a> that politicians are incompetent, in it for themselves and not to be trusted? </p>
<p>Instead of promoting social healing what if the inquiry’s findings are interpreted as underlining a stronger sense of “them and us” which fuels anti-political sentiment? What might the implications of this be for the next general election and the chances of new <a href="https://www.politicshome.com/news/article/conservative-mps-should-be-terrified-of-reform-says-leader">“insurgent” parties</a>?</p>
<p>Making sense of Boris Johnson is actually very easy. Making sense of COVID and its implications for apologies, angst and anti-politics is far more complicated.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219261/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Matthew Flinders does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The former prime minister and his allies have dodged questions and passed the buck in an inquiry that is meant to give the public confidence that lessons will be learned for the future.Matthew Flinders, Founding Director of the Sir Bernard Crick Centre for the Public Understanding of Politics, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1984702023-02-23T13:15:46Z2023-02-23T13:15:46ZSage, sacred to Native Americans, is being used in purification rituals, raising issues of cultural appropriation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/511784/original/file-20230222-22-nhg75m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C8%2C5630%2C3728&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">White sage is being commonly used for purification rituals.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/midsection-of-sage-holding-feather-with-smudge-royalty-free-image/1207222673?phrase=sage%20smudging&adppopup=true">Stevica Mrdja / EyeEm via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>White sage, which is sacred to a number of Native American tribes in the southwest United States, has been adopted by both some contemporary Pagans and New Age practitioners <a href="https://religionnews.com/2023/01/12/witches-urge-alternatives-to-sage-amid-concern-about-appropriation-overharvesting/">for purification rites</a>. As Emily McFarlan Miller reported in a recent Religion News Service article, this is resulting in overharvesting and shortages of the plant, making it harder for Native Americans to find enough for their sacred ceremonies. </p>
<p>In her groundbreaking book “<a href="https://www.routledge.com/Purity-and-Danger-An-Analysis-of-Concepts-of-Pollution-and-Taboo/Douglas/p/book/9780415289955">Purity and Danger</a>,” anthropologist <a href="https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780199766567/obo-9780199766567-0075.xml">Mary Douglas</a> illustrates how purity and its maintenance are central to religion. It is a way to keep danger at bay as well as provide a way to separate the sacred from the mundane.</p>
<p>As a <a href="http://www.helenaliceberger.com/">sociologist of religion</a> who has studied contemporary Paganism for more than 30 years, I am aware of how important both contact with the spirit world and purification are in this religion. Contemporary Paganism is a set of religions that base their practice on what is known about pre-Christian religions in Europe, mixed with literature, science fiction and personal inspiration.</p>
<p>Within these religions <a href="https://uscpress.com/A-Community-of-Witches">nature is viewed as sacred</a>, to be celebrated and protected. The celebration of nature takes several forms, the most common being a series of rituals that commemorate the changing seasons. Cleansing is a way to provide a safe place to interact with the spirit world, which is always part of Pagan rituals. </p>
<p>Purification can be done using a number of substances, including salt, rosemary and sometimes white sage. When purification includes the use of sage, it raises the issue of appropriation, as it has traditionally been used by Native Americans in their rituals. </p>
<h2>Protection and cleansing</h2>
<p>Pagan rituals take place outdoors, when possible, or sometimes in people’s homes or in occult bookstores. There is no set liturgy that everyone follows, and it is possible for people to create their own rituals. </p>
<p>Because there is no dedicated sanctified place, cleansing and protection become <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Community_of_Witches.html?id=H7p1mwEACAAJ">particularly important within Paganism</a>. More mainstream religions have buildings, such as churches or synagogues, where they maintain sanctuaries for religious purposes only. </p>
<p>Pagans, to the contrary, have ritual areas that must be transformed from mundane to sacred use. Possibly more importantly, rituals are meant to open up the individual to the spiritual or other world. Magic, the process of changing reality to your will through incantations, is done in this realm. </p>
<p>As I learned <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Community_of_Witches.html?id=H7p1mwEACAAJ">when I was doing my research</a>, most Pagans believe entering this realm holds both great possibilities and dangers. The cleansing and purification of the place and the participants are meant to protect them by keeping out unsavory spirits. </p>
<p>Purification can be done in several ways. When I began my research in 1986, it was most commonly done using salt and water. At Pagan ceremonies that I attended as a researcher, those leading the ritual would “cut” a sacred circle. This entailed walking around the circle carrying a ritual knife known as an athame while chanting an incantation that marked the area as a safe place that only the spirits called would enter. They then used salt and water to purify the circle.</p>
<p>In some of the rituals participants were already standing in the circle when this part of the ritual was done; in others they entered afterward. The participants were also purified, with salt, water, smoke from a candle, incense or rosemary and a crystal or rock, symbolizing Mother Earth. </p>
<h2>White sage and cultural appropriation</h2>
<p>Sometimes white sage was used for purification in a ritual. It was used because it was associated with Native American practice. As religious studies scholar <a href="https://www.csuchico.edu/corh/people/faculty/sarah-pike.shtml">Sarah Pike</a> found among contemporary Pagans, cultural borrowing from Native Americans was seen as <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520220867/earthly-bodies-magical-selves">connecting the participants to the spirits</a> that lived in the land around them. </p>
<p>Participants believed they were honoring the first people on the continent by incorporating elements of their spiritual practice. Some of the Pagan practitioners had received training from a Native American teacher. For many contemporary Pagans, Native American spirituality was a practice they wanted to emulate because of its connection to the land, to a spirit world, and because it predates Christianity and is native to the region. As contemporary Pagans often piece together different elements to create their spirituality, for many it seemed natural to include Native American practices. </p>
<p>As Pike notes, in the early 1990s Native Americans from several tribes began to express their rage at what they saw as “cultural strip mining,” the stealing and watering down of their culture and their spirituality, which they described as an extension of colonization that had stripped them of their original lands. The use of sage was not the only cultural artifact that these Native American spokespeople objected to being used by nonnatives. Traditional dress and eagles’ feathers were two other examples of <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520220867/earthly-bodies-magical-selves">commonly appropriated items</a>. </p>
<p>As Pagans pride themselves on being sensitive to practices of diverse cultures, most quickly gave up the use of sage; the use of other Native American artifacts in Pagan practices became less common as well. Those who had been using sage returned to using either salt and water or rosemary for purification. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510709/original/file-20230216-18-5za3y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C8%2C5542%2C3692&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A woman in a sun hat and white t-shirt sitting in a field." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510709/original/file-20230216-18-5za3y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C8%2C5542%2C3692&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/510709/original/file-20230216-18-5za3y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510709/original/file-20230216-18-5za3y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510709/original/file-20230216-18-5za3y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510709/original/file-20230216-18-5za3y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510709/original/file-20230216-18-5za3y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/510709/original/file-20230216-18-5za3y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A woman harvesting sage in a field.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/june-2020-saxony-freital-cindy-richter-field-worker-news-photo/1216875633?phrase=sage%20&adppopup=true">Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images</a></span>
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<p>The use of sage by non-Native Americans is again becoming more prevalent. I noticed while doing my research in 1986 that white sage was sold at stores catering to the occult. It is now being more widely marketed by stores such as Walmart and Anthropologie. </p>
<p>The market has become larger as aspects of Pagan or New Age practices have seeped into more general practice and the <a href="https://bigthink.com/the-present/modern-paganism/?fbclid=IwAR220aeQVXJjYP3r8eP0xfYsvbWERyb-ZkWt5ZxyIa17co4y9guUdPYuEKg">number of Pagans has increased</a>. It has become common, for example, for younger Americans to <a href="https://religionnews.com/2023/01/12/witches-urge-alternatives-to-sage-amid-concern-about-appropriation-overharvesting/">cleanse their homes of bad spirits</a> with white sage even if they do not identify as Pagans. Added to this, those who are new to Paganism are often unaware of the history of appropriation and are repeating the errors of an earlier generation of Pagans and <a href="https://bigthink.com/the-present/modern-paganism/?fbclid=IwAR220aeQVXJjYP3r8eP0xfYsvbWERyb-ZkWt5ZxyIa17co4y9guUdPYuEKg**">using sage in their rituals</a></p>
<p>Native Americans who normally pick the herb as they need it are complaining that they are unable to find enough for their spiritual needs. Fears have also been raised that overharvesting could result in the plant’s becoming extinct, <a href="https://medium.com/the-reynolds-media-lab/the-current-popularity-of-white-sage-is-causing-its-extinction-on-the-border-of-mexico-and-the-63f9527a8d3a">resulting in the extinction of the animals</a> that are dependent on it as well. </p>
<p>It would be both ironic and sad if in celebrating Mother Earth, Pagans helped to make a sacred herb extinct.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198470/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen A. Berger receives funding from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Association for the Sociology of Religion, and West Chester University.</span></em></p>Native Americans are struggling to find sage for their spiritual practices as the plant is being overharvested for sale to the wider public.Helen A. Berger, Affliated Scholar at the Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1527192021-01-06T14:30:20Z2021-01-06T14:30:20ZCoronavirus: new study claims that a five-day warning ruined the last lockdown<p>On September 21, the UK government’s Science Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) published a document calling for a <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/925854/S0769_Summary_of_effectiveness_and_harms_of_NPIs.pdf">national circuit-breaker lockdown</a> to curb the steadily increasing cases of COVID. The Sage scientists warned that “not acting now to reduce cases will result in a very large epidemic with catastrophic consequences in terms of direct COVID-related deaths and the ability of the health service to meet needs”.</p>
<p>Instead of heeding the warnings of their own scientists, the government instead <a href="https://archive.vn/UWnAm#selection-921.136-921.327">solicited the fringe views of “experts”</a> who advocated for controlling the effects of the virus with less restrictive measures, while shielding society’s most vulnerable. The result being that the government tried to limit the impact of the disease with a series of light-touch restrictions, including the original three-tier system introduced in the middle of October.</p>
<p>By the end of October, under these measures, the virus had spread to such a degree that the situation in England had become untenable. A national lockdown to control the spread of the virus became unavoidable. News of these imminent restrictions was <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/national-lockdown-looms-8mphnk5h9">leaked to the press</a> almost a week before the lockdown came into force. </p>
<h2>Springing a leak</h2>
<p>At the time, the chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, John Apter, <a href="https://twitter.com/PFEW_Chair/status/1322444531413954560">suggested that</a> the leak would cause confusion and encourage “some to make the most of their pre-lockdown time”. But is this how things actually played out?</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.03.21249169v1.full.pdf">new study</a>, that has yet to be peer reviewed, attempts to answer this question. The analysis looked at case figures from across 315 local authorities. The publicly available data shows that in the ten days leading up to the national lockdown, there was a stagnation of cases. This was then followed by a sharp rise during the first week of the lockdown until its peak on November 12. Subsequently reported cases declined almost until the end of the lockdown at the beginning of December.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377282/original/file-20210105-17-o9stw0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Covid-case data across the UK" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377282/original/file-20210105-17-o9stw0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/377282/original/file-20210105-17-o9stw0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377282/original/file-20210105-17-o9stw0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377282/original/file-20210105-17-o9stw0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377282/original/file-20210105-17-o9stw0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377282/original/file-20210105-17-o9stw0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/377282/original/file-20210105-17-o9stw0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Cases appeared to plateau leading up to the leaked announcement of the lockdown before spiking sharply during the lockdown, reflecting mixing that took place immediately prior to its implementation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Credit: Kit Yates, University of Bath and Independent SAGE.</span></span>
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<p>From the case data, the authors calculated a reproduction number (commonly referred to as R - the average number of people an infected person will pass the disease on to during the course of their infectious period). Their calculations seemed to suggest that while all three tiers brought down the reproduction number from around October 20, it then rose again in the five days before the lockdown was implemented in tiers 1 and 2. The authors conclude that the leaking of the lockdown plans before its implementation led indirectly to a surge in infections.</p>
<h2>Far from definitive</h2>
<p>While it’s tempting to believe that the leak was the sole cause of the infection surge at the start of the lockdown, this explanation is overly simplistic. The evidence provided by the authors is far from definitive. The <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54763956">official government announcement</a> was made on the Saturday after leaks on the Friday night meaning the leak itself had limited impact (although it’s unclear to what degree the timing of the government’s announcement was influenced by the leak). Several other influences may also have been at play in the weeks leading up to the lockdown.</p>
<p>To understand the peak in cases during lockdown, we should consider the reasons for the plateau in cases in the fortnight leading up to it. In part, this may have been a result of tier 3 bringing down cases in the worst affected areas. Certainly, there was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-54810652">evidence to suggest that tier 3 was bringing down case numbers on Merseyside</a> before the lockdown was instituted. The stagnation in cases might also have been a result of behavioural change as people saw the increasing hospitalisation and death figures reported in the media and decided to limit their mixing.</p>
<p>Perhaps the most compelling argument to explain the levelling off of cases is the staggered half-term break. Sage has suggested on many occasions that <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/925856/S0770_NPIs_table__pivot_.pdf">schools contribute significantly to the reproduction number</a>. Remember, roughly speaking, that it takes somewhere between five and ten days beween people being infected and their positive tests being reported. A flattening of reported cases between October 23 and November 7 seems to agree nicely with the staggered half term across England from October 17 to 31. At least part of the spike in reported cases that occurred on November 12 might then be explained by the return of schools in the three days before the lockdown was implemented.</p>
<p>In reality, a combination of factors probably led to the spike in cases during the second lockdown: the return of schools, the leaking of the government’s plans and the five-day hiatus between the official announcement and the lockdown itself. </p>
<p>With just over 24 hours between the announcement and its implementation and with most of the country already under relatively tight restrictions, we can hope that any behaviour-induced rise in cases might be avoided as England enters its third national lockdown.</p>
<p><em>Correction: several instances of “the UK” should have said “England”. This has been changed in the current version.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/152719/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christian Yates does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Did people really make the most of their pre- lockdown time?Christian Yates, Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Biology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1405902020-06-22T14:44:59Z2020-06-22T14:44:59ZThe 14-day quarantine rule for UK arrivals is probably illegal – here’s why<p>Nearly all international arrivals to the UK must now quarantine for 14 days, according to the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-52544307">new policy</a> that came into force on June 8, presented as an attempt to limit spread of the coronavirus. This policy, I argue, could be illegal.</p>
<p>UK courts have the power to review governmental policies under a process called <a href="https://www.judiciary.uk/you-and-the-judiciary/judicial-review/#:%7E:text=Judicial%20review%20is%20a%20type,wrongs%20of%20the%20conclusion%20reached.">judicial review</a>. Two well established grounds for judicial review in the UK are <a href="https://ukconstitutionallaw.org/2019/07/01/yossi-nehushtan-the-unreasonable-perception-of-rationality-and-reasonableness-in-uk-public-law/">rationality and reasonableness</a>. Any policy found by the court to be irrational or unreasonable can be declared illegal and abolished.</p>
<p>On both counts, it can be argued that the UK’s quarantine rule fails.</p>
<h2>It can’t do what it sets out to</h2>
<p>As a ground of judicial review, rationality is best understood as deploying the appropriate means to achieve certain ends. An irrational governmental decision would be one that deploys means that cannot achieve their purpose.</p>
<p>So, can the quarantine actually hope to achieve what it sets out to?</p>
<p>The policy states that quarantine is necessary <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/884760/Our_plan_to_rebuild_The_UK_Government_s_COVID-19_recovery_strategy.pdf#page=33">“to keep overall levels of infection down”</a>. Yet the government has never explained why a blanket quarantine that applies to countries whose current infection and death rates are much lower than the UK’s is needed to keep levels of infection down here. Or why not quarantining people from such countries would contribute to a rise in infections. </p>
<p>With a lack of evidence that the means (quarantine for international arrivals) can achieve the end (keeping infections down) the policy is irrational – and therefore probably illegal.</p>
<p>Basing a policy that aims to protect public health on scientific evidence could have helped make it rational. Alas, the government appears not to have done that. </p>
<p>Edinburgh University’s Mark Woolhouse, a member of the group modelling the pandemic for SAGE, the government’s advisory committee, described the quarantine as making <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-scientists-hit-out-at-plans-for-quarantine-02x9s2vhh">“no sense”</a> – and a number of other experts <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-scientists-hit-out-at-plans-for-quarantine-02x9s2vhh">have also been critical</a>. Section 2.5 of the government policy states that it’s “informed by science”, but the government hasn’t revealed what advice is behind the policy.</p>
<p>In fact, the government’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, refused to back the blanket quarantine policy, saying that the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/priti-patel-urged-to-publish-scientific-advice-behind-uk-quarantine-move">advice from SAGE</a> was that quarantines are most effective when they’re applied to people from countries with higher rates of infection. In the UK’s case, this would only be a handful of countries, <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus">such as Brazil and the USA</a>.</p>
<h2>Quarantine’s negatives have been ignored</h2>
<p>Even if we assume that the quarantine could achieve its purpose, it could still be argued that the policy is unreasonable. Reasonableness, as a ground of judicial review, is best understood as a weighing and balancing test. An unreasonable decision is one that results from giving distorted weight to relevant considerations.</p>
<p>In our case, the primary relevant reason for imposing the quarantine policy is protecting public health. And for this to have weight, we need to know that the policy offers significant extra protection to public health. But without knowing the scientific advice behind the policy, we have no measure of its protectiveness at all – and so no grounds for giving this reason significant weight.</p>
<p>There’s also a second potentially relevant reason: the polls show that <a href="https://yougov.co.uk/topics/travel/articles-reports/2020/06/08/most-britons-back-government-plans-quarantine-trav">63% of the public supports the quarantine policy</a>. If introducing a quarantine helps maintain public trust that the government is doing the right thing, then arguably that could make the policy reasonable. It’s important to maintain trust in government and the measures it imposes, especially during times where public obedience to governmental policies is essential to protect public health. However, public opinion shouldn’t be considered in this case as it is probably shaped by irrational fears and a lack of knowledge.</p>
<p>The reasons against the policy, however, are multiple and weighty. The policy is limiting people’s freedom of movement and their right to liberty. It’s preventing airline and travel companies from planning ahead. It’s denying income to many whose livelihood depends on international tourism. And it’s significantly increasing the risk of job losses to tens of thousands of people.</p>
<p>This policy, therefore, arguably results from incorrectly judging that the speculative public health benefits of quarantine outweigh the certain harms that will be caused by it. I believe that could make it illegal as well.</p>
<p>Evaluating the legality of lockdowns generally, or a set of complicated and intertwined lockdown rules, is a mighty task. Here, however, we face an isolated policy that on balance seems irrational, unreasonable and potentially destructive. For these reasons there’s a case for it being overturned.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/140590/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Yossi Nehushtan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The policy is neither rational nor reasonable, and so could be at risk of being struck out.Yossi Nehushtan, Professor of Law and Philosophy, Keele UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1385422020-05-19T09:29:08Z2020-05-19T09:29:08ZCoronavirus: is the R number still useful?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336188/original/file-20200519-152302-x2sju6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=180%2C41%2C9062%2C5168&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A few months ago, most people had never heard of the R number. Now, thanks to the novel coronavirus, we all know – or think we know – what it means. </p>
<p>R is the reproduction number of an infectious disease – basically how many people one infected person will transmit the disease to. For highly contagious diseases, such as measles, this can be <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1473309917303079">almost 18</a>. For COVID-19, it is estimated to be <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/27/2/taaa021/5735319">just over three</a>. </p>
<p>R0 – or R nought – is the starting value of R at the beginning of an outbreak when the entire population is susceptible to the disease. As the outbreak progresses, R becomes Re – the effective reproduction number – which changes over time as people become infected and interventions are used to combat the spread of the disease. </p>
<p>R is widely used as a key metric for determining UK public policy. The rationale is that R gives a quick assessment of our control of an outbreak. If R is greater than one, the outbreak is growing. If it is less than one, the outbreak is under control and will eventually die out. Hence, the government’s focus is on keeping R below one as lockdown is slowly eased. </p>
<p>However, a group of scientists who call themselves <a href="http://www.independentsage.org">Independent SAGE</a> (a parallel group to the government’s own SAGE - <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage">Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies</a>) is now drawing the value of this metric into question. In a <a href="http://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/The-Independent-SAGE-Report.pdf">recently published report</a>, the group argues that R can be misleading and the government shouldn’t rely so heavily on this one metric for determining policy.</p>
<p>Independent SAGE comprises 12 scientists from various fields and was created in response to concerns over the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/04/rival-sage-group-covid-19-policy-clarified-david-king">lack of transparency</a> coming from the official SAGE committee. It is populated by a group of eminent scientists, headed by the former UK government chief scientific adviser David King. However, is the group correct? And is R a suitable metric for determining public policy?</p>
<h2>Environment and human behaviour</h2>
<p>First, R is not based solely on the virus but is affected by the <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/25/1/17-1901_article">environment and by the behaviour of the population</a>. For example, the value of R on the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468042720300063">Diamond Princess cruise ship</a> was estimated to be 11 even though the worldwide average is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jtm/article/27/2/taaa021/5735319">3.28</a>. The close confines and movement of the ship’s staff facilitated COVID-19 transmission. The virus was the same, but the environment and behaviour were different, altering R of the virus. </p>
<p>R also varies depending on the <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0000282">model</a> used to calculate it. Using different sets of data (such as from a different country, something that is often done) or using different formulas will give different values of R for the same virus. For COVID-19, we have seen values of R that range from <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23-01-2020-statement-on-the-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus-(2019-ncov)">1.4</a> to <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468042720300063">11</a>, depending on the environment, data and model used. </p>
<p>Second, even though we talk about R for the whole UK, this number is not the same for every region or nation of the country. Certain rural areas may have very low transmission rates whereas densely populated urban areas and regions with many care homes and hospitals may have significantly greater rates of transmission. Thus, the value of R used in public policy <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/coronavirus-care-homes-hospitals-infection_uk_5eb42df9c5b652c5647431b9">may not accurately reflect viral transmission</a> in any local environment and so may give a false perspective on the level of precautions necessary.</p>
<p>Third, R is not a real-time value but <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1891">lags behind</a> the current transmission rates by about a week. This limits the ability to rapidly assess the impact of our interventions on viral transmission. For example, if we begin to ease lockdown restrictions it would be important to know immediately if this is causing viral transmission to increase. However, we won’t see these effects for a week, after which many new people could have been infected.</p>
<h2>One tool among many</h2>
<p>Finally, by focusing on R we are ignoring many <a href="https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2013.301704">other important parameters</a> of viral transmission, such as how long a person can spread the virus for, or how rapidly the number of cases is increasing. R is just one factor used to understand how an infectious disease is spreading. </p>
<p>To fully understand viral transmission, we need to <a href="http://www.independentsage.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/The-Independent-SAGE-Report.pdf">examine many different factors</a> in as close to real-time as possible. Additionally, R reveals nothing about how many people will be hospitalised or die, both of which are essential data for designing public health policy during an outbreak.</p>
<p>So, with these concerns about the reliability and usefulness of R, should it still be used to guide policy? The answer is undoubtedly yes. However, no policy should be based on, or evaluated by, a single modelled number. Rather, we should use R as one factor in a large toolkit of methods to assess the ongoing outbreak. By using region-specific data and real-time modelling we may be able to also improve the local accuracy of R. The goal is to understand up-to-the-minute disease transmission and assess the effectiveness of our ongoing interventions. R plays a crucial, but not sole role in this evaluation.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138542/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jeremy Rossman has received research funding from the Medical Research Council and the European Commission. He is the President of the non-profit organisation Research-Aid Networks.</span></em></p>R is still useful for public health, but it should not be the only metric we use to understand virus transmission.Jeremy Rossman, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Virology and President of Research-Aid Networks, University of KentLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1377342020-05-13T12:11:09Z2020-05-13T12:11:09ZCoronavirus: government advisory groups should include a wider range of experts<p>Ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, embattled governments around the world have relied heavily on expert advice and opinion. Recently, however, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/27/gaps-sage-scientific-body-scientists-medical?CMP=share_btn_tw">UK government has been criticised</a> for relying on an advisory group with a narrow range of expertise. </p>
<p>This lack of disciplinary diversity is a cause of serious concern given that pandemics are complex problems with biological, environmental, social and political causes and consequences. COVID-19 is not simply a medical emergency, and our efforts to combat it will fall short if we don’t use a wide array of specialist knowledge and experience.</p>
<p>The advisory body responsible for guiding the UK government through the coronavirus crisis is known as <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage">SAGE</a> - the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies. The Guardian recently <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/coronavirus-whos-who-on-secret-scientific-group-advising-uk-government-sage">revealed</a> that the group comprises 21 scientists and two political advisers to Downing Street. When we look at the range of expertise among these scientists, we see that SAGE is heavily skewed towards the medical sciences. This may come as no surprise, given COVID-19’s impact on human health and the NHS. But when we look at the broader picture, an advisory group skewed overwhelmingly towards medicine is a cause for worry. </p>
<p>Since the outbreak, medical science has helped to save countless lives and given us a much-needed perspective on COVID-19’s effect on the human body. But pandemics are not simply medical phenomena. COVID-19 is a <a href="https://search.bvsalud.org/global-literature-on-novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov/resource/en/covidwho-133118">zoonotic disease</a>, believed to have emerged in a wet market in Wuhan, China, where the virus was able to leap from bats to humans via an intermediary species. It spread rapidly through a densely populated city, reaching almost every part of the world within months.</p>
<p>In other words, to understand this disease we need to understand factors including animal health and welfare, food and farming cultures, social behaviour in urban environments, and international transport. Multiple forms of expertise are required if we hope to address and understand every aspect of such a complex problem.</p>
<p>We can already see some possible connections between a <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sage-panel-shown-to-lack-critical-areas-of-expertise-2hx3nrwt3">lack of expertise in critical areas</a> and the shortcomings of the British response to the outbreak. It has been suggested, for example, that the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52284281">high death rates in care homes</a> and the government’s failure to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52112483">achieve daily testing goals</a> can be linked to the lack of expertise in the key areas of social sciences, engineering and logistics. </p>
<p>Importantly, the main critics of this lack of diversity are scientists who themselves have previously acted as scientific advisers, including the former director of maternal and child health at the World Health Organization, Anthony Costello, and the former chief scientific adviser to the president of the European Commission, Anne Glover. </p>
<p>As Costello <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/27/gaps-sage-scientific-body-scientists-medical?CMP=share_btn_tw">notes</a>: “A balanced scientific advisory group would at the minimum include experts working at the frontline of the pandemic, such as those in public health, primary care and intensive care.”</p>
<p>When we look at the root of this criticism, we can attribute it to the fact that lack of diversity in expertise among the members of SAGE is not reflective of scientific research at large. An important characteristic of scientific practice is its multiplicity of disciplines, each using different methods, models and theories to pursue different lines of inquiry. Even more significantly, different disciplines constantly interact to address complex questions that cannot be answered by each discipline in isolation. </p>
<p>It’s understandable, given the nature of the challenge we face, that medical sciences are taking centre stage – but a cause for alarm that other disciplines have been sidelined. We must, of course, urgently deal with the medical aspect of this pandemic in order to save lives, but moving forward, it is crucial to take a broader range of expertise into account so we can avoid a resurgence of COVID-19 and combat the emergence of new pandemics. Coronavirus is not just a medical disaster, it’s an environmental, social and economic crisis too.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137734/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erman Sozudogru does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>COVID-19 is much more than just a medical emergency.Erman Sozudogru, Teaching Fellow in Philosophy of Medicine, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1372282020-04-25T16:13:46Z2020-04-25T16:13:46ZDominic Cummings and SAGE: advisory group’s veil of secrecy has to be lifted<p>Dominic Cummings, the UK prime minister’s chief political adviser, and his colleague Ben Warner have attended meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE). Is this a big deal?</p>
<p>A report by a team of reporters in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/revealed-dominic-cummings-on-secret-scientific-advisory-group-for-covid-19">the Guardian</a> newspaper claimed the pair were “on the secret scientific group”. A government statement was heavily critical of the report, but said Cummings and Warner had attended meetings. It claimed they were not members of the body, but occasionally asked questions.</p>
<p>SAGE <a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-a-former-member-of-sage-explains-how-the-science-advisory-group-really-works-134077">provides scientific and technical advice</a> to support government decision makers during emergencies. The government statement said Cummings may have answered questions “when scientists mention problems in Whitehall”. This has caused outrage in some quarters. Sir David King, a former UK government chief scientific adviser, was reportedly “shocked” to hear that Cummings had been attending some SAGE meetings. “If you are giving science advice, your advice should be free of any political bias,” he told The Guardian, adding on Twitter it “<a href="https://twitter.com/Sir_David_King/status/1253746666982846465">marries with all of my worst fears</a>”.</p>
<p>I research how policy makers use scientific evidence, and a key question for me is what role Cummings was playing on SAGE. There is a potential spectrum of engagement with the group which at one end is perfectly acceptable and at the other is completely unacceptable. </p>
<p>It could well be that Cummings wanted to listen to SAGE discussions so that he could gain an understanding of how the debate within SAGE led to its summaries and recommendations. This to my mind would be fine. After all, in conditions of extreme uncertainty, like with COVID-19, the debate is at least as important as the conclusions of deliberation.</p>
<p>One might argue that his very presence could impede on the independence of the advice. But I would contend that the members of SAGE are all grown-ups and can act independently even when being observed.</p>
<p>It is conceivable that in this scenario a SAGE member might have the occasional question for Cummings, for example, on the political parameters within which they are working. Would this be improper? Again, not necessarily; although it may have been more appropriate to have an apolitical cabinet civil servant present.</p>
<p>The questions that SAGE is answering are coming from a political place – <a href="https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/cobr-cobra">COBR</a>, a committee also known as COBRA that is convened to handle matters of national emergency or major disruption. Even questions like “how fast is the virus spreading and where?” and “how many people are likely to die?” are ultimately being framed through a political lens.</p>
<p>So going by the government’s statement, which outlined Cummings’s role as listening, and asking and answering the occasional question, I think that, given the extraordinary circumstances of this crisis and the centrality of his role in government decision-making, his attendance is not something to fret over.</p>
<p>But if the Guardian report that “Downing Street advisers were not merely observing the advisory meetings, but actively participating in discussions about the formation of advice” is accurate, that would be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/revealed-dominic-cummings-on-secret-scientific-advisory-group-for-covid-19">more of a matter for concern</a>. </p>
<p>That raises questions about the role of politics in framing scientific advice. That is not the job of SAGE. SAGE is there to summarise the scientific and technical evidence and present scientific and technical recommendations. Those are then sent up to COBR and ultimately the prime minister makes a decision based on both the science and the politics. If the advice from SAGE is already politicised, the prime minister would have a harder time distinguishing between the science and the politics. It would also make it easier for him to blame SAGE for his own decisions, something that people <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/alexwickham/coronavirus-uk-scientists-human-shields">are increasingly worried about</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330511/original/file-20200425-163083-1j31ndz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330511/original/file-20200425-163083-1j31ndz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330511/original/file-20200425-163083-1j31ndz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330511/original/file-20200425-163083-1j31ndz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330511/original/file-20200425-163083-1j31ndz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330511/original/file-20200425-163083-1j31ndz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330511/original/file-20200425-163083-1j31ndz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Science shouldn’t be influenced by politics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stuart Monk/Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The job of SAGE is to <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage">co-ordinate and peer review</a> scientific and technical advice to inform decision making. In other words, it should bring together the right people to review evidence relating to the question at hand. What the science says should not be influenced by the political options being considered.</p>
<h2>Make minutes public</h2>
<p>Political decisions should be informed by the science; the science should not be informed by the politics. This scenario raises the central question of this story: the independence of SAGE. The Guardian called it a “supposedly independent body” and the government in its statement about Cummings described SAGE as providing “independent scientific advice to the government”.</p>
<p>Interestingly, the notion of SAGE being independent <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/80087/sage-guidance.pdf">appears nowhere</a> in its 64 pages of guidelines. Even though everyone “knows” that SAGE should be independent, the government’s official guidelines do not recognise this “fact”. As a first step, the 2012 SAGE guidelines should now be updated to outline the role of SAGE – which should include “independence” – and instructions as to when and if it is appropriate for political advisers to be present and, if so, what role they should play.</p>
<p>In order for us to ascertain the role played by Cummings or any other future political adviser, the minutes of SAGE meetings must be made public. The government clearly believes that the advice provided to it by SAGE should be private, but that <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278498/11-1382-code-of-practice-scientific-advisory-committees.pdf">runs counter to its own guidance</a> on how science advisory committees should work, which calls for “openness and transparency”. </p>
<p>The problem with not being open and transparent is that it is impossible for parliament, the media and researchers to scrutinise what is going on. What is the advice the government is being given? Is government really following that advice? Who is giving it?</p>
<p>This is hardly a new issue. The secrecy of SAGE has been raised before, by the House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee in a <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmsctech/498/498.pdf">2011 report</a> on scientific advice and evidence in emergencies, with a particular focus on the volcanic ash emergency of 2010. In that report, concerned MPs said all the same things that I am saying here: that SAGE membership should not be secret and that the minutes should be published.</p>
<p>The new <a href="https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/135/science-and-technology-committee-commons">Science and Technology Select Committee</a>, under the chairmanship of <a href="https://twitter.com/GregClarkMP">Greg Clark</a>, should revisit that report, reiterate its recommendations and the government should accept them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/137228/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chris Tyler receives funding from the UK Economic and Social Research Council. </span></em></p>The notion of SAGE being independent appears nowhere in its 64 pages of guidelines. But the case for more transparency is obvious.Chris Tyler, Associate Professor in Science Policy and Knowledge Infrastructure, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1340772020-03-24T12:54:29Z2020-03-24T12:54:29ZCoronavirus: a former member of SAGE explains how the science advisory group really works<p>COVID-19 has brought a lot of new people to the attention of the public. Unlike politicians, these “chief” advisers who are mainly scientists and medics, are normally only active behind the scenes. How do they operate and how can single individuals work across the wide range of technical knowledge needed in the complex circumstances associated with COVID-19? The answer is that they are at the pinnacle of a system of science and medical advice involving perhaps hundreds of technical specialists. Something called <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies-sage">SAGE</a> is at the centre of this system. </p>
<p>SAGE, the Science Advisory Group for Emergencies, is a formal part of the UK government’s emergency response structure. It’s a subcommittee of COBR, which stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (popularly referred to as COBRA). </p>
<p>The government recently released details of the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-covid-19-scientific-evidence-supporting-the-uk-government-response">SAGE discussions</a> about its advice to government on how to respond to COVID-19. This has set off a series of articles about the government response, some <a href="https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-the-publishing-of-the-evidence-and-advice-from-sage-on-covid-19/">supportive</a> and some <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/alexwickham/10-days-that-changed-britains-coronavirus-approach?__twitter_impression=true">critical</a>.</p>
<p>There has been particular criticism about decisions being taken <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00772-4">behind closed doors</a>. In my time as a chief scientific adviser in government, I experienced many SAGEs and chaired a few of them. Here, I explain what happens behind those doors and why they need to remain closed – at least initially.</p>
<h2>Behind closed doors</h2>
<p>When an emergency happens in the UK, the Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS), which sits in the Cabinet Office, the central government department responsible for the organisation of government, calls and organises COBR. The response time for this can be as little as 30 minutes.</p>
<p>The CCS prepares a briefing for COBR, known as a CRIP, the Common Recognised Information Picture. This is the basis upon which all discussions and decision are made. It ensures that everybody involved is working off the same information.</p>
<p>SAGE is established at the request of COBR and it is normally chaired by the government’s chief scientific adviser – at present, this is Patrick Vallance. However, SAGE may be chaired on some occasions by other departmental chief scientific advisers or the chief medical officer. The advice from SAGE contributes to the briefing and the chair of SAGE attends COBR.</p>
<p>When SAGE is called, it is the job of the Government Office for Science to bring together the necessary range of expertise to formulate advice to COBR. When time is short, this expertise normally comes from scientists in government departments, especially their own chief scientists. But when time permits, SAGE pulls in expertise from around the country including, in the case of something like COVID-19, epidemiologists, clinicians, virologists, behavioural scientists, systems scientists and engineers.</p>
<p>The job of SAGE is to respond to questions from COBR. These can be quite specific or very broad. For COVID-19, the complexity of the response is such that SAGE has to rely on other established groups to help it with formulating its advice. For example, it uses the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling in the Department for Health and Social Care, and the independent Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Behaviours. These groups, which have deep specialists in various important aspects of disease control as their members, many of whom come from universities, have been thinking about pandemics for many years. Some of them run computer models of how the disease might spread.</p>
<p>SAGE has the job of integrating the information from these disparate sources and of augmenting advice where necessary if it recognises any gaps. This is a pyramidal system that takes an immense amount of technical information and boils it down to the essentials needed to inform both the strategic and tactical thinking going on at COBR. </p>
<p>It is at COBR that the scientific advice is pitted against other forms of advice from the economic, security, political, administrative and diplomatic spheres. This is not, as some have <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00772-4">suggested</a>, a closed system. Individual <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/18/coronavirus-uk-expert-advice-wrong">dissenting voices</a> need to be listened to but not necessarily heeded. They challenge groupthink, but they are not part of the consensus process.</p>
<p>SAGE is an important feature of most emergencies in some form, especially during the early response phase. It sets out the scientific evidence and often defines the most appropriate options. However, a very important role is for it to set out the uncertainties – what we don’t know as much as what we do know – because this helps to define risks.</p>
<h2>Adaptation and flexibility</h2>
<p>All emergencies are messy. If it sometimes seems that the government is changing its mind then that is because it is responding to the evidence as it emerges. Adaptation and flexibility are part of any successful strategy and not, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/alexwickham/10-days-that-changed-britains-coronavirus-approach?__twitter_impression=true">as some people seem to think</a>, lack of ability. People like <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/its-a-national-effort-to-win-coronavirus-fight-we-all-have-crucial-part-to-play">Vallance</a> and <a href="https://www.mailplus.co.uk/tv/the-michael-crick-report/3053/michael-crick-asks-who-is-chris-whitty-the-man-with-our-lives-in-his-hands">Chris Whitty</a>, the chief medical officer, need to be supported, not hobbled. </p>
<p>SAGE only exists to support COBR, so when emergencies move from response to recovery it tends to stand down. But often the job of science is not finished at this point so other “task-and-finish” advisory groups are established at departmental level. For example, following the <a href="https://theconversation.com/novichok-the-deadly-story-behind-the-nerve-agent-93562">poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia Skripal</a> with a novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, Wiltshire, <a href="https://ianlboyd.wordpress.com/2019/03/06/heroes-clean-up-salisbury/">I chaired the Decontamination Science Advisory Group</a>, which had the job of advising when different contaminated locations in Salisbury were safe to be returned to public use.</p>
<p>At present, the SAGE process has never been worked so hard. Those involved right now will be struggling to find time to sleep, let alone have a protracted public dialogue over social media, as suggested in a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00772-4">Nature editorial</a>. Some level of understanding of what is going on inside government on the part of the responsible media is important. If there are sometimes differences between the UK’s approach to managing the COVID-19 epidemic and other countries, these will almost certainly be deeply rooted in consensus advice coming from a large number of technical experts across the country. Very few other countries have this kind of system in place.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134077/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ian Boyd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Science Advisory Group for Emergencies is not a secret cabal.Ian Boyd, Professor of Biology, University of St AndrewsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/808132017-07-13T20:12:27Z2017-07-13T20:12:27ZStep by step, we’re tackling gender equity in Australian astronomy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/177796/original/file-20170712-10554-1ekt6x9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=781%2C91%2C2431%2C1534&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Efforts praised to get more women in Australian astronomy, but more needs to be done.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/135630555@N04/29871339403/">Flickr/Paean Ng</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The number of women at the most senior levels in the Australian astronomical community remains low despite many positive steps in supporting gender equity. Women make up only 17% of positions at full or associate professor level.</p>
<p>Astronomy is not alone in having a gender gap in its workforce. Despite decades of positive initiatives, the number of women working day-to-day in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) fields <a href="https://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem/">overall in Australia is low</a>.</p>
<p>About 43% of the total STEMM workforce are women compared to men at 57%, based on 2014 figures. This gap widens at the most senior levels, with women making up only 21% of the senior professor positions.</p>
<p>Programs to improve the gender gap in astronomy have been recognised this week by the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA). At its annual science meeting, this year in Canberra, it <a href="https://asa-idea.org/the-pleiades-awards/current-pleiades-organisations/">announced 12 recipients</a> of its <a href="https://asa-idea.org/the-pleiades-awards/">Pleiades awards</a>.</p>
<p>The awards are aimed at encouraging astronomy departments to make a commitment to improving gender equity. We can see the rewarded programs are already having an impact. </p>
<h2>Focus on recruitment, flexibility and mentors</h2>
<p>Now in their third year, the first gold Pleiades award went to the ARC Centre for All-Sky Astrophysics (<a href="http://www.caastro.org/">CAASTRO</a>), a collaboration of several university astronomy teams. Four silver and seven bronze awards were given to other astronomy groups.</p>
<p>CAASTRO’s award recognises the group’s longstanding commitment, with initiatives such as changes to recruitment practices, increased workplace flexibility (such as advertising the opportunity for part-time work), mentoring and improved conference participation by female astronomers.</p>
<p>These policies have resulted in an increase in the number of female researchers from roughly 15% at the centre’s inception in 2011, to more than 40% this year.</p>
<p>Conference participation is at almost at parity in terms of the number of participants, speakers and session chairs. CAASTRO has also created a <a href="http://www.caastro.org/gender-action-toolkit">gender action toolkit</a>, a resource that any department or institute can use.</p>
<h2>The gender gap</h2>
<p>Other efforts are also being made to address the gender gap in STEMM with Australian institutions gearing up for their first submissions to the Science in Australia Gender Equity (<a href="https://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/about/">SAGE</a>) pilot, due at the end of March, 2018.</p>
<p>The scheme is based on the UK’s <a href="http://www.ecu.ac.uk/equality-charters/athena-swan/">Athena SWAN</a> program on improving gender equity, established in 2005. Over the past 12 years the Athena SWAN program has led to positive transformations in workplace culture and women being more visible in key positions and senior roles in STEMM fields in the UK.</p>
<p>But unlike SAGE’s institution-wide approach, the Pleiades awards take a department-by-department approach.</p>
<p>As a direct result of the Pleiades awards program, every Australian astronomy department now has an equity and diversity committee to consider and monitor these matters and many have undertaken workplace culture surveys. </p>
<h2>The next steps</h2>
<p>Despite this and other efforts to bridge the gender gap, there are still hurdles to be overcome such as hiring practices, unconscious bias and the amount of housework that women undertake in Australia (an issue raised by Annabel Crabb in her book <a href="https://penguin.com.au/books/the-wife-drought-9780857984289">The Wife Drought</a>).</p>
<p>One pragmatic action is to advertise female-only positions which the University of Melbourne has now done for a <a href="https://careers.pageuppeople.com/422/ci/en/job/890968/astro3d-lecturer-senior-lecturer-astrophysics">senior position in astronomy</a>. </p>
<p>The new <a>ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astronomy in 3 Dimensions</a> has gone one step further, and requires gender balance at all levels of the Centre, from students to the executive.</p>
<p>The gender balance issue is worse for women who are also in other minority groups due to race, sexuality, disability, religion and more.</p>
<p>While we have made some progress in gender equity in astronomy, we have now started to broaden the conversation beyond gender alone, to recognise <a href="https://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/intersectionality-in-stemm">intersectionality</a> which describes how gender equity is impacted by also being members of other minority groups. The ultimate aim is an equitable workplace that allows all women to achieve their full potential.</p>
<p>Year by year we are learning more about how best to support women. With each round of the Pleiades awards we further develop the selection criteria to ensure departments keep improving their workplaces. </p>
<p>We also expect our astronomy departments to take on new initiatives to retain or progress in the Pleiades awards scheme.</p>
<p>The awards have shown the positive effect such a scheme can have in driving cultural change. As the SAGE pilot develops, we expect similar positive change in culture across the whole sector, beyond astronomy alone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/80813/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Virginia Kilborn has received funding from the Australian Research Council. She works for Swinburne University of Technology, and is immediate past president of the Astronomical Society of Australia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Brough receives funding from the Australian Research Council and University of New South Wales. She is Chair of the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Astronomy (IDEA) Chapter and was a member of the 2016 Pleiades Award judging panel.</span></em></p>Efforts to reduce the gender gap and encourage more women in Australian astronomy have been rewarded this week.Virginia Kilborn, Professor of Astrophysics, Swinburne University of TechnologySarah Brough, Associate professor, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/768542017-05-01T20:05:01Z2017-05-01T20:05:01ZThe hunt for the Superstars of STEM to engage more women in science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/167137/original/file-20170428-15121-15r80yf.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The new Superstar in STEM ambassador Lisa Harvey-Smith at the Australian Astronomical Observatory’s 3.9m Anglo-Australia Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://scienceandtechnologyaustralia.org.au/what-we-do/superstars-of-stem/">Superstars of STEM</a> is a new program by Science and Technology Australia that aims to smash the stereotypical portrait of people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).</p>
<p>The plan is to identify 30 superstar women currently in STEM, and work with them to create role models for young women and girls, and thus move towards equal representation in the media of men and women in STEM.</p>
<p>As the new ambassador and a mentor for Superstars of STEM, my role is to encourage broad participation, which we hope will elevate the visibility of women STEM professionals in public life.</p>
<h2>Encouraging more women in STEM</h2>
<p>There are already some programs that support female scientists and technologists in a bid to break down systemic obstacles. These include the <a href="https://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au">Science in Australia Gender Equity</a> program. Others aim to inspire women to study STEM subjects, such as <a href="https://codelikeagirl.org">Code like a Girl</a> or to help young women build their techno-confidence, such as <a href="http://www.sheflies.com.au">SheFlies</a> and <a href="http://robogals.org">Robogals</a>.</p>
<p>Adding to this picture, Superstars of STEM aims to address public perception and is founded on the principle that <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ps-political-science-and-politics/article/gender-equality-in-the-ivory-tower-and-how-best-to-achieve-it/AFA743CD689C4BE594627C24F49E807E">visibility matters</a> in achieving equality.</p>
<p>Rather than simply attempting to shoehorn women into the public eye, this new program will work with 30 women in STEM to equip them with the skills, confidence and opportunities to become role models. This approach will build on the work being done to address systemic issues facing female scientists and technologists.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/europe/features/dont-european-girls-like-science-technology/">European study by Microsoft</a> found that most girls became interested in STEM at around the age of 11, but their interest began to wane at 15. This is an important age, as girls are starting to make decisions that will set the trajectory of their academic life.</p>
<p>The lack of role models in STEM was identified as the key factor that influenced the girls in the study, as well as a lack of practical experience with STEM subjects at school. On Twitter, <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/09/top-50-science-stars-twitter">92% of the most followed</a> scientists are male. When women scientists are mentioned in the media, they often tend to be <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0963662508098580">described by their appearance</a> rather than their achievements.</p>
<p>The need for more female STEM role models has also been echoed in similar reports and programs in <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/girls-in-tech-stem-study">Asia</a>, the <a href="http://www.information-age.com/stem-boys-survey-exposes-how-negatively-young-girls-perceive-stem-subjects-123460224/">UK</a>, <a href="http://waawfoundation.org/">Africa</a> and the <a href="http://www.ncgs.org/Pdfs/Resources/Role%20Models.pdf">United States</a>.</p>
<p>In Australia, more than half of all undergraduates and half of PhD students are female. Almost 60% of <a href="https://womeninscienceaust.org/2014/06/15/women-in-the-scientific-research-workforce-identifying-and-sustaining-the-diversity-advantage/">junior science lecturers are women</a>. But women comprise <a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem/">just 16%</a> of top-level science and technology researchers, professors and professionals.</p>
<h2>Role models</h2>
<p>As a young kid gazing at the stars, my role models were pioneering astronauts like <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/neil-armstrong-9188943">Neil Armstrong</a> and <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/buzz-aldrin-9179894">Buzz Aldrin</a>, and eccentric types such as the late, great astronomy broadcaster <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-20657939">Sir Patrick Moore</a>. </p>
<p>I thought that was enough for me, until as a 16-year-old I met Britain’s first astronaut, <a href="http://www.helensharman.com/">Helen Sharman</a>, at <a href="http://spaceschool.co.uk/S_Spaceschool/-about-us">Space School UK</a>. At that moment I suddenly realised that every one of my role models in the fields of astronomy and space science had been male. </p>
<p>Meeting this real-life STEM superstar had a transformational influence on me. It even spurred me on to apply for the European Astronaut Program in 2009. </p>
<p>As someone who is passionate about astrophysics and science education I have inadvertently become a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/eureka-prizes-lisa-harveysmiths-vision-for-astronomy-lands-her-award-for-promoting-australian-research-20160831-gr5cxx.html">role model myself</a>.</p>
<p>But the continued lack of diverse role models in STEM makes me wonder how many missed opportunities and how much unrealised potential continues to be lost. Have our young, modern-day <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1903/marie-curie-bio.html">Marie Curies</a>, <a href="http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/snapshots/find-of-the-month/2009-march.aspx">Ruby Payne-Scotts</a>, <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/ada-lovelace-20825323">Ada Lovelaces</a> and <a href="https://www.science.org.au/learning/general-audience/history/interviews-australian-scientists/dr-isobel-bennett-1909-2008">Isobel Bennetts</a> passed up on science as a subject in favour of more conventional choices?</p>
<h2>The new superstars</h2>
<p>In its first year, Superstars of STEM is placing 30 women in the public eye, by equipping them with advanced communication skills. This will include media training, meetings with decision-makers, and opportunities to showcase their work.</p>
<p>Participants will also be supported to speak with girls directly at local high schools and public events, along with establishing a public profile online.</p>
<p>There are too few transformational and brilliant women in the public eye. Every success in science and technology in Australia is built on the work and contributions of people across the genders. For the sake of our girls,we need to celebrate these outstanding scientists and their work.</p>
<p>I imagine a time when we ask children to draw a scientist and they draw somebody who looks like mathematician <a href="http://highered.amsi.org.au/professor-nalini-joshi-a-woman-of-influence/">Nalini Joshi</a>, molecular biologist <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/boyerlectures/series/2014-boyer-lectures/6481612">Suzanne Cory</a>, or astronomer <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/trailblazer-karlie-noon-reaches-for-stars-in-indigenous-knowledge/news-story/342fbe8b2c54bcfa0a91054b1e1ea0a8">Karlie Noon</a>.</p>
<p>The measure of the success of Superstars of STEM will be whether young Australian women can turn on the television, read a newspaper or engage with social media and see women experts presenting STEM as an exciting and viable career. I can’t wait to witness the opportunities this change will bring.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article was co-authored with Kylie Walker, Chief Executive Officer of Science and Technology Australia.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/76854/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Harvey-Smith does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More young women and girls could be encouraged to look to a career in science thanks to the new Superstars in STEM project.Lisa Harvey-Smith, Group Leader - Australia Telescope National Facility Science, CSIROLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/620412016-07-14T20:04:59Z2016-07-14T20:04:59ZHow men and women can help reduce gender bias in the workplace<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129474/original/image-20160706-801-1tazq1r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Prof Emma Johnston at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science has always reported to a male supervisor, never a female.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Maja Baska/UNSW AUSTRALIA</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>I am a professor and a newly minted pro vice chancellor and I have spent my entire research and working life with male bosses or supervisors. I have never reported to a woman.</p>
<p>This phenomenon is particularly acute in the fields of science, technology engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM).</p>
<p>It’s why more than 30 universities, six medical research institutions and four publicly funded research agencies have joined the Science in Australia Gender Equity pilot project (<a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/">SAGE</a>). </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130185/original/image-20160712-9292-6t0r1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130185/original/image-20160712-9292-6t0r1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/130185/original/image-20160712-9292-6t0r1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130185/original/image-20160712-9292-6t0r1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130185/original/image-20160712-9292-6t0r1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130185/original/image-20160712-9292-6t0r1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130185/original/image-20160712-9292-6t0r1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/130185/original/image-20160712-9292-6t0r1p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Student completions and academic staff STEMM.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">SAGE</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The SAGE project involves both men and women, as all gender equity programs must. Gender equity is not only a problem for women, just as advances in gender equity are not only a blessing for women.</p>
<p>Improving women’s status, workforce participation, legal protections, and physical security benefits the whole of society. </p>
<p>There are many wonderful things that are positively correlated with increased gender equality. Men’s <a href="http://jmm.sagepub.com/content/17/5/515.full.pdf+html">psychological and physical health improves</a> and the gender gap in life-expectancy decreases. There is less <a href="http://sciencenordic.com/gender-equality-reduces-violence">domestic violence</a>.</p>
<p>Companies with more women on the board have <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/business/workplace-relations/asx-500-companies-that-employ-more-women-make-more-profit-study-shows-20160307-gnccnz.html">higher financial returns</a> and greater levels of <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1410337">innovation</a>. Countries with greater gender parity <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/employment-and-growth/how-advancing-womens-equality-can-add-12-trillion-to-global-growth">have higher annual GDP</a>.</p>
<p>A study of 50 US states and 31 European countries found that, on average, <a href="http://jmm.sagepub.com/content/17/5/515.full.pdf+html">men are also happier</a>, they have better quality of life, spend more time with their friends and family and are less constrained by strict gender norms. Gender equality lifts us all.</p>
<h2>Enter the mainstream</h2>
<p>So for the good of us all, men and women must <a href="http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/gendermainstreaming.htm">mainstream gender equity</a>. This means building gender equality into every practice and process so that it becomes the new norm.</p>
<p>Mainstreaming means shifting cultural norms and baselines, accepting that gender bias exists, encouraging discussions of gender inequity, speaking out against sexism and harassment, recognising and removing conscious and implicit bias, and weakening stereotypes.</p>
<p>We all have a lifetime’s worth of experiences but depending on our background, those experiences may be quite different. This can become a problem if one dominant group holds most of the powerful positions.</p>
<p>Men comprise <a href="https://go8.edu.au/page/go8-board">seven out of eight</a> of Australia’s current G08 university vice chancellors, <a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem/">79% of our STEMM professors</a>, <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4125.0%7EAug%202015%7EMedia%20Release%7EStill%20fewer%20women%20in%20positions%20of%20leadership%20(Media%20Release)%7E10011">83% of Australia’s CEOs</a> and about 88% of our learned Australian Academy of Science fellows.</p>
<p>These powerful people – directors, professors, academy fellows – who are making decisions and defining merit; they can design out gender bias if they have the motivation to do so. Attaining that desire for change, in the face of resistance, may require some recalibration of their world view. This will be more difficult for people in positions of privilege for whom discrimination is less visible.</p>
<p>It is not easy to reduce conscious or implicit bias but we can read studies that document gender bias and provide data to help us reset our baselines. We can take <a href="https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/education.html">implicit bias tests</a> online, we can <a href="http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/08-102.pdf">replace intuition with formal analysis</a> and slow down our decision-making to allow for considering bias. </p>
<p>We can also surround ourselves with female mentors and colleagues so that we gain ‘outsider’ perspectives. Women will have diverse experiences and attitudes towards the gendered workplace. If we surround ourselves with women and we avoid the four Ds, set out below, we can help recalibrate our world view and break down stereotypes. </p>
<h2>D for denial</h2>
<p>Denial is the outright dismissal of the existence of inequity. Denial might be more common if you have never experienced that particular bias. For example, one study revealed that male STEMM faculty members were less likely to <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/112/43/13201">accept evidence of gender bias</a>.</p>
<p>To mainstream gender equity, we need to avoid denial by first listening and accepting, in order to enable discussion. If we are listening to a first-hand account of bias then we must assist the person to find appropriate professional support.</p>
<p>If we remain in doubt about the likelihood of bias, we can always look for <a href="https://www.hastac.org/blogs/superadmin/2015/01/26/gender-bias-academe-annotated-bibliography-important-recent-studies">empirical evidence of general patterns</a>. We might even consider doing an analysis or experiment to test for discrimination ourselves.</p>
<h2>D for diminish</h2>
<p>This is when we diminish the problem by saying something like: “You’re making too big a deal out of it.”</p>
<p>This is a difficult one. We develop a thick skin. So it is tempting to dismiss the worries of our juniors in whatever form the hierarchy takes.</p>
<p>But people who experience inequity don’t always develop thick skins. They can experience real-time reactions and under-confidence resulting from a lifetime of exposure to <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/109/41/16474.abstract#aff-1">biased evaluations and stereotypes</a>.</p>
<p>Mainstreaming gender equity into the culture of an organisation requires accepting the gravity of the situation as presented, and looking for solutions to problems even if we do not suffer them.</p>
<h2>D for do not defend</h2>
<p>If we find ourselves using the phrase “I’m sure they didn’t mean it that way” then we need to stop, reflect and reconsider our perspective. </p>
<p>Again, it may take a conscious effort to accept that the inequity is real. A great example of this is the uncritical use of the term “merit”. People believe they are making judgements based entirely on “excellence”. </p>
<p>But several studies show that men and women will judge CVs, papers, teaching and even student essays to be <a href="https://www.hastac.org/blogs/superadmin/2015/01/26/gender-bias-academe-annotated-bibliography-important-recent-studies">superior when labelled with a male name</a>.</p>
<h2>D for do not derail the discussion</h2>
<p>Derailment happens when we are being empathetic or trying to get attention ourselves. We may listen to an example of bias and respond with the phrase: “Oh yes, but you won’t believe what happened to me…” This can, inadvertently, change the topic.</p>
<p>If our own experience is less intense, and the consequences less severe, then our contribution may derail and diminish the discussion. We need to have these discussions about the serious issues of harassment and bias.</p>
<h2>Rocket science</h2>
<p>If men and women are to mainstream gender equity, our heart must be in the right place and we must value fairness, but this will not guarantee success.</p>
<p>We know we must work proactively to put systems and practices in place that reduce bias and promote equality and diversity.</p>
<p>For the most part we already know what those <a href="https://www.wgea.gov.au/learn">systems and practices are</a>. They are hardly rocket science. </p>
<p>The rocket science is in learning to listen to very quiet voices; it is creating spaces for those voices at work. The rocket science is also recognising and addressing our own implicit biases and our own limited experience.</p>
<p>They say that travel broadens the mind, so maybe what we all need to do is leave our comfortable universe and step into a female rocket scientist’s shoes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/62041/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Johnston receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Men still outnumber women in senior positions in Australian universities and other workplaces. Women are pushing for change but it’s men who can help redress the gender balance.Emma Johnston, Professor and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research), UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/616642016-07-12T19:45:14Z2016-07-12T19:45:14ZHow to keep more women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129980/original/image-20160711-24084-1wi2iyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Women need more role models in senior positions to help keep them in STEM careers.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/HOMONSTOCK</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There have been myriad promises made by the major political parties over the years focused on funding programs aimed at increasing the number of women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).</p>
<p>Although some of the policies do target disciplines where women are underrepresented, there seems to be very little acknowledgement of the bigger problem.</p>
<p>Attracting women to STEM careers is one issue, retaining them is another. And that does not seem to get the same level of attention.</p>
<p>Simply trying to get more women into STEM without addressing broader systemic issues will achieve nothing except more loss through a leaky pipeline.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem">Higher Education Research Data</a> from 2014 shows more females than males were being awarded undergraduate degrees in STEM fields. Early career researchers, classified as level A and B academics, are equally represented in the genders. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129996/original/image-20160711-24074-18mf2u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129996/original/image-20160711-24074-18mf2u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129996/original/image-20160711-24074-18mf2u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129996/original/image-20160711-24074-18mf2u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129996/original/image-20160711-24074-18mf2u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129996/original/image-20160711-24074-18mf2u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129996/original/image-20160711-24074-18mf2u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129996/original/image-20160711-24074-18mf2u2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gender disparity in STEM fields at the higher academic levels (C-E) based on Higher Education Research Data, 2014.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/gender-equity-in-stem/">Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE)</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>At senior levels, though, the gender disparity plainly manifests – males comprise almost 80% of the most senior positions.</p>
<h2>A biological and financial conundrum</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.nature.com/news/why-women-earn-less-just-two-factors-explain-post-phd-pay-gap-1.19950">Studies in the United States</a> found that women having children within five to ten years of completing their PhD are less likely to have tenured or tenure-track positions, and are more likely to earn less than their male or childless female colleagues. </p>
<p>Angela (name changed) is a single parent and a PhD student in the sciences. She told me she is determined to forge a career for herself in academia, despite the bureaucratic and financial hurdles she has to overcome.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Finding ways to get enough money to afford childcare […] jumping through bureaucratic hoops […] It was ridiculous and at times I wondered if it was all worth it.</p>
<p>It may be just one reason for women leaving STEM, especially those with children, and doubly so for single parent women.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Women tend to be the primary caregivers for children, and are more likely to work part time, so perhaps this could explain the financial disparity. But according to <a href="http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/2016/03/report-australias-stem-workforce/">the latest report</a> from the Office of the Chief Scientist on Australia’s STEM workforce, men who also work part time consistently earn more, irrespective of their level of qualification.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129998/original/image-20160711-24084-j3mucw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129998/original/image-20160711-24084-j3mucw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/129998/original/image-20160711-24084-j3mucw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129998/original/image-20160711-24084-j3mucw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129998/original/image-20160711-24084-j3mucw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=292&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129998/original/image-20160711-24084-j3mucw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129998/original/image-20160711-24084-j3mucw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/129998/original/image-20160711-24084-j3mucw.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=367&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Percentage of doctorate level STEM graduates working part time who earned more than $104 000 annually, by age group and gender.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/2016/03/report-australias-stem-workforce/">Australia’s STEM Workforce March 2016 report from the Office of the Australian Chief Scientist.</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The same report also shows that women who do not have children tend to earn more than women who do, but both groups still earn less than men.</p>
<p>Perhaps children do play a part in earning capacity, but the pay disparities or part-time employment do not seem to fully explain why women leave STEM.</p>
<h2>Visible role models</h2>
<p>The absence of senior females in STEM removes a source of visible role models for existing and aspiring women scientists. This is a problem for attracting and retaining female scientists.</p>
<p>Having female role models in STEM <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-purcell-pe/the-importance-of-female-mentors-stem_b_1711749.html">helps younger women envision STEM careers</a> as potential pathways they can take, and mentors can provide vital support.</p>
<p>Yet even with mentoring, women in STEM <a href="http://www.scidev.net/global/capacity-building/opinion/how-mentoring-can-help-women-scientists-1.html">still have higher attrition rates</a> than their male colleagues. </p>
<p>So what else can we do?</p>
<p>There are many programs and initiatives that are already in place to attract and support women in STEM, including the Science in Australia Gender Equity (<a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/athena-swan-principles/">SAGE</a>) pilot, based on the United Kingdom’s Athena SWAN charter.</p>
<p>But women’s voices are still absent from leadership tables <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-we-really-want-an-ideas-boom-we-need-more-women-at-the-top-tiers-of-science-56999">to our detriment</a>.</p>
<h2>Homeward Bound</h2>
<p>This absence is especially noticeable in STEM and policy making arenas, and was the impetus for Australian leadership expert, Fabian Dattner, in collaboration with Dr Jess Melbourne-Thomas from the Australian Antarctic Division, to create <a href="https://homewardboundprojects.com.au/">Homeward Bound</a>.</p>
<p>Dattner <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/environment/homeward-bound-trip-to-take-78-female-leaders-in-science-to-antarctica-20150924-gjuhx9.html?stb=fb#ixzz4D33YuZbH">says she believes</a> the absence of women from leadership “possibly, if not probably, places us at greatest peril”.</p>
<p>To address this, Homeward Bound is aimed at developing the leadership, strategic and scientific capabilities of female scientists to enhance their impact in influencing policy and decisions affecting the sustainability of the planet.</p>
<p>Initially, it will involve 77 women scientists from around the world. But this is only the first year of the program, and it heralds the beginning of a global collaboration of 1,000 women over ten years.</p>
<p>These women are investing heavily – financially, emotionally and professionally – and it is clearly not an option for everyone.</p>
<h2>Flexible approaches</h2>
<p>There are other simple ways to support women in STEM, which anyone can do.</p>
<p>Simply introducing genuinely flexible work arrangements could do a lot towards alleviating the pressure as Angela shows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>My supervisor made sure that we never had meetings outside of childcare hours […] or I could Skype her from home once my child was in bed. They really went above and beyond to make sure that I was not disadvantaged.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We have already attracted some of the best and brightest female minds to STEM. </p>
<p>If keeping them there means providing support, publicly celebrating high-achieving women, and being flexible in how meetings are held, surely that’s an investment we can all make.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/61664/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Merryn McKinnon is one of the scientists participating in Homeward Bound this year.</span></em></p>Attracting women to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is one issue, keeping them there is another.Merryn McKinnon, Lecturer, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/556432016-03-07T18:57:01Z2016-03-07T18:57:01ZThe evidence is in: greater gender diversity in science benefits us all<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/113843/original/image-20160304-17765-12nohqz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Evidence shows science benefits from having researchers from both genders and a wide range of backgrounds.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The <a href="http://www.weforum.org/">World Economic Forum</a> estimated last year that at the current slow rate of progress, it will take until 2133 to <a href="http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-report-2015/">close the global gender gap</a> across health, education, economic opportunity and politics. </p>
<p>We clearly need to take greater measures to close the gap. And, fittingly, the theme of this year’s <a href="http://www.internationalwomensday.com/">International Women’s Day</a>, celebrated today, is: <a href="http://www.internationalwomensday.com/Theme">Pledge for Parity</a>. </p>
<p>It’s a call to action that the scientific community should heed. </p>
<h2>Championing change</h2>
<p>That female scientists are <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-international-day-to-encourage-more-women-and-girls-in-science-54532">underrepresented at a senior level</a> is now well recognised; despite the fact that women comprise more than half of PhD science graduates, in Australia female academics hold only 17% of senior positions. </p>
<p>The story is similar in the corporate sphere: the 2015 <a href="http://malechampionsofchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/MCC-Progress-Report-2015.pdf">Male Champions of Change progress report</a> found that only three in 29 affiliated major organisations – Ten Network, the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Qantas – achieved minimum gender parity goals in key management positions. </p>
<p>Beyond the ordinary challenges for women in the workforce, female scientists face specific difficulties, especially in a cut-throat funding environment. </p>
<p>The years of intensive research required to establish an independent research career as a laboratory leader coincides inconveniently with the period during which people tend to start families. </p>
<p>In addition, grant success hinges on a productive publication record, which adds difficulty for women who have taken career breaks to have children. </p>
<h2>Inclusiveness benefits research</h2>
<p>A <a href="http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/STEM_AustraliasFuture_Sept2014_Web.pdf">2014 report</a> from the Office of the Chief Scientist found that women “continue to leave STEM in unacceptably high numbers at secondary, tertiary and early-career level”. </p>
<p>Unquestionably, the lack of women in senior roles is an unfortunate waste of expertise and investment. But gender imbalance should be an issue that concerns the majority, because it’s the majority who benefit from diversity in the workplace and laboratory.</p>
<p>Research suggests that institutional performance is positively associated with gender balance. For example, a <a href="https://www.credit-suisse.com/us/en/about-us/research/research-institute/news-and-videos/articles/news-and-expertise/2012/07/en/does-gender-diversity-improve-performance.html">2012 Credit Suisse study</a> of 2,360 companies globally found that those with at least one woman on the board outperformed companies without any female board members by 26% over six years. </p>
<p>Another study that looked at the gender composition of <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1088182">management teams in S&P 1,500 companies</a> found that women in top management positions were associated with “an increase of US$42 million in firm value.” </p>
<p>The same study found that companies that prioritised innovation saw greater financial gains with female managerial representation. </p>
<p>Racial diversity has similar benefits for innovation: a <a href="http://gom.sagepub.com/content/28/1/107.abstract">study of 177 US banks</a> found that in banks with an innovation-focussed business strategy, a racially diverse workforce was related to enhanced financial performance. </p>
<p>Diversity in science also has benefits for researchers. A study of the <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/collaboration-strength-in-diversity-1.15912">authors of 2.5 million scientific papers</a> found that publications authored by ethnically diverse groups of researchers receive more citations than do papers written by researchers of a single ethnic group. </p>
<p>When authors with similar publication histories were compared, homophily – sticking with one’s own – was associated with lower-impact papers. </p>
<h2>Steps towards equity</h2>
<p>In terms of female underrepresentation at senior levels, a <a href="http://www.professionalsaustralia.org.au/professional-women/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2014/03/2015-Women-in-the-STEM-Professions-Survey-Report.pdf">lack of role models</a> is often cited as a reason for the attrition of female scientists. </p>
<p>Successful women in senior positions provide crucial guidance as mentors and role models, and are also key to challenging the stereotype that science is masculine. </p>
<p>The more schemes that promote female researchers, such as the <a href="http://www.arc.gov.au/">Australian Research Council’s</a> special female Laureate Fellowships, or the inaugural <a href="http://womeninscienceday.org/">United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science</a>, just passed, the greater the benefit. </p>
<p>Change also needs to come from research institutions, and the Science in Australia Gender Equity (<a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/science-in-australia-gender-equity-sage-pilot-2015/">SAGE</a>) pilot, in which UQ is a participating organisation, is a good start. </p>
<p>More, as always, can be done. The SAGE pilot launched in September, 2015, with involvement from 32 institutions, including half of the university sector. Surely this proportion can plausibly be lifted to full nationwide university participation. </p>
<p>Research programs that fast-track the training of talented female scientists would also help. If women can achieve research independence before they have children, as lab leaders they have the flexibility and staff support to ensure that research continues during periods of parental leave.</p>
<p>The Queensland Brain Institute is doing its part to support women by launching an annual Diversity in Science Lecture, in order to provide a platform for distinguished champions of diversity and equity. </p>
<p>Career–life decisions are never made in isolation, and closing the gender gap in universities also involves support at home from partners and spouses. </p>
<p>Boys at school and early university should be educated and encouraged to understand that equal opportunity in the workplace benefits from men taking equal responsibility in the family environment. </p>
<p>A concerted, continuing effort at all levels is needed for us to achieve gender parity, and hopefully by far sooner than 2133.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/55643/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pankaj Sah receives funding from the Australian Research Council and the National Health and Medical Research Council.</span></em></p>It’s fitting that on International Women’s Day we recognise the fact that greater diversity in science boosts research and its economic outcomes.Pankaj Sah, Director - Queensland Brain Institute, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/545322016-02-11T05:48:20Z2016-02-11T05:48:20ZAn international day to encourage more women and girls in science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/111095/original/image-20160211-29192-19z58h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Plenty more needs doing to help plug the gender gap in science.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/kurhan</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The first United Nations <a href="http://womeninscienceday.org/">International Day of Women and Girls in Science</a> is being celebrated today, with a number of <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/women-science-meet-stemettes-star-inspiring-more-girls-into-stem-1543094">articles</a> profiling women scientists (<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-11/five-women-in-stem-at-top-of-their-fields/7157750">including myself</a>) for their achievements.</p>
<p>Which is fantastic, right? Well, a cursory peek at Google will tell you some people are less than impressed, particularly some blokes who are asking when is the international day of men and boys in science?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/111088/original/image-20160211-29185-5hhi2o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/111088/original/image-20160211-29185-5hhi2o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/111088/original/image-20160211-29185-5hhi2o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=104&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111088/original/image-20160211-29185-5hhi2o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=104&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111088/original/image-20160211-29185-5hhi2o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=104&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111088/original/image-20160211-29185-5hhi2o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111088/original/image-20160211-29185-5hhi2o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111088/original/image-20160211-29185-5hhi2o.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The reaction from some men, and not an isolated case either.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.facebook.com/abcnews.au/posts/10154778836399988?comment_id=10154778992324988">Facebook</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Well, the fact is, fellas, it’s every day for you (as many were keen to point out in the Facebook comment, above)! And the <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/inequality-quantified-mind-the-gender-gap-1.12550">statistics</a> tell us this is the case. I work in biomedical science, where the gender balance – at least at entry level – is pretty equal. But once you start moving up the chain of seniority, it falls away drastically. </p>
<p>Research <a href="https://www.science.org.au/academy-newsletter/australian-academy-science-newsletter-100/supporting-science-australia-gender#sthash.WysWVu4y.dpufScientists">tells us</a> that while women comprise more than half of science PhD graduates and early career researchers, just 17% of senior Australian academics within the sciences are women. </p>
<p>Scientists are all too familiar with the famous “scissor graph” (below), which elegantly depicts the stark reality of gender imbalance in senior roles in science. It’s not only disheartening, it’s also probably discouraging. And why would it not be?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/111084/original/image-20160211-29175-ghj2td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/111084/original/image-20160211-29175-ghj2td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/111084/original/image-20160211-29175-ghj2td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=274&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111084/original/image-20160211-29175-ghj2td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=274&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111084/original/image-20160211-29175-ghj2td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=274&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111084/original/image-20160211-29175-ghj2td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111084/original/image-20160211-29175-ghj2td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/111084/original/image-20160211-29175-ghj2td.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The ‘scissor graph’ show it’s not good news for women in science.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://media.uow.edu.au/news/UOW202240.html">Higher Education Research Data Collection 2012, Department of Education; Office of the Chief Scientist, Australia.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So the issue is not so much to encourage more women into science, but to keep them there.</p>
<h2>Improving the gender balance</h2>
<p>There has been much talk and, I’m pleased to say, action recently regarding improving the gender imbalance, particularly when it comes to competitive funding.</p>
<p>Some of these initiatives include the National Health and Medical Research Council (which funds the majority of Australian biomedical research) recently instigating a program to directly <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/research-institutes-must-better-support-women-or-risk-their-funding-20150318-1m2586.html">link funding to gender equity</a> programs. This includes institutions being required to implement mentoring and skills training strategies that promote and seek to increase women’s participation.</p>
<p>A quick note on the important differences between equality and equity; equality is giving everyone access to the same things, but equity is giving people access to the same opportunities.</p>
<p>But I think we need to look earlier than when grants get awarded. We need to look at inequity at the level of students and early career researchers.</p>
<p>Universities and medical research institutes need to step up to the plate in this regard. Which is why the The Science in Australia Gender Equity (<a href="http://www.sciencegenderequity.org.au/">SAGE</a>) trial currently happening at 32 institutions is so important and encouraging!</p>
<p>This initiative aims to address the loss of so many women scientists, which The Australian Academy of Science <a href="https://www.science.org.au/supporting-science/gender-equity#sthash.oBb2nGNs.dpufas">describes</a> as a significant waste of expertise, talent and investment, directly impacting our nation’s scientific performance and productivity. </p>
<h2>No lip service</h2>
<p>But, importantly, there needs to be better mentoring of junior scientists and senior staff need to be accountable for it, instead of it being a lip service process often fulfilled by an online module. </p>
<p>The recent <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-stop-the-sexual-harassment-of-women-in-science-reboot-the-system-53210">stories of sexual harassment</a> coming out of the astronomy community are shocking, but even worse are suggestions that <a href="http://qz.com/598609/university-cover-ups-of-sexual-harassment-are-just-like-the-catholic-church/">universities protected harassers</a> and did not provide suitable means to make complaints.</p>
<p>One thing that is particularly frustrating are reports of women being perceived as overly sensitive or difficult if they make complaints. Even worse is the perception that you will “<a href="http://qz.com/598609/university-cover-ups-of-sexual-harassment-are-just-like-the-catholic-church/">ruin someone’s career</a>” if you report them for harassment. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog/2013/oct/17/women-in-science-ada-lovelace-gender">Everyday sexism </a> in science is endemic and pernicious, and needs to be addressed at the very earliest opportunity. Not to mention patronising and condescending advertising campaigns which thankfully, in the age of Twitter, get deservedly and hilariously <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-35027902">ridiculed</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"676825357383766016"}"></div></p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"674001866766868480"}"></div></p>
<p>Crucially, we need women in science to be seen, and to be accessible, so they can serve as role models and mentors for future researchers. And we need support from our male colleagues, whom I’m pleased to say are <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-11/what-can-men-do-to-stem-the-exodus-of-women-from-science/7155366">stepping up</a> to the plate.</p>
<p>If you are considering a career in science, get in touch with a scientist whose work interests you or who you’ve seen in the media, and as ask them for advice. You will find many of us on Twitter and we love to talk about our work, usually without much encouragement.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/54532/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rachael Dunlop receives funding from The Institute for Ethnomedicine, Wyoming, USA. </span></em></p>The push to bridge the gender gap and encourage more women and girls into a career in science gets the backing of the United Nations special day.Rachael Dunlop, Visiting associate , Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/476312015-09-16T09:45:13Z2015-09-16T09:45:13ZWhat it’s like to be a woman working in science, and how to make it better<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94965/original/image-20150916-11961-1qv7bjs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=269%2C387%2C3937%2C2436&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are still barriers to overcome to keep more women in science.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">CIAT/Flickr</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>This Wednesday saw the launch of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (<a href="https://www.science.org.au/sage">SAGE</a>) <a href="https://www.science.org.au/SAGE/Pilot">pilot program</a> by the Australian Academy of Science (<a href="https://www.science.org.au/">AAS</a>) in partnership with the Academy of Technological Science and Engineering (<a href="https://www.atse.org.au/">ATSE</a>).</em></p>
<p><em>SAGE is a gender equity program to address the chronic underrepresentation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM).</em></p>
<p><em>The Conversation asked women in the sciences to reflect on their experiences working in the field and comment the significance of the SAGE initiative.</em></p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Nalini Joshi</strong><br>
<em>Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellow in Mathematics and the Chair of Applied Mathematics at the University of Sydney</em></p>
<p>I was the first female professor of mathematics ever appointed to the University of Sydney, Australia’s oldest university. I remained in that singular position for 14 years, until July this year when the number doubled; we now have two female professors of mathematics! </p>
<p>When I arrived, the most common question I got asked was: “are you a real professor?” I tried to respond: “yes, according to my payslip, I am.” Later I worked out what the question meant. Was I a chair of a discipline area? Or a permanent named chair corresponding to distinctive research and scholarly leadership? Or was my position of lesser distinction? </p>
<p>I wondered then whether new male professors would have been asked that question. The underlying message was that being female is incompatible with being chair of a discipline. It also implied that I couldn’t belong. </p>
<p>I have been the only woman in most rooms for most of my professional life. I had come to terms with contradictory subliminal messages a very long time ago, and they were not going to stop me pursuing and solving problems in mathematics. </p>
<p>The standard approaches undertaken by Australian organisations for equity have been blind and deaf to these subliminal messages. Most organisations would say they are ticking all the right boxes for equity, but at the same time remain puzzled by the persistent lack of diversity at the senior levels.</p>
<p>The SAGE initiative aims to create a framework that will bring systemic, subliminal bias to light and change the gendered landscape in Australian organisations.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Tanya Monro</strong><br>
<em>Deputy Vice Chancellor Research & Innovation at University of South Australia</em></p>
<p>I will never forget the day when, as a 31 year old new physics professor recently returned to Australia, I sat down to my first meeting with my colleagues. Fists banged on the tables, voices were raised and I found myself pulling my chair back ever so slightly and asking myself what I was getting myself into. </p>
<p>It was certainly a culture shock after seven years in the UK working within a very diverse and dynamic research centre. It seemed ironic to me when well intentioned colleagues would tell me that I needed to be less “aggressive” when what I was doing was simply being persistent and determined in figuring how we could establish the partnerships, research infrastructure and a team with the critical mass required to make a difference. Or that I should just bring along my babies when I needed to lecture. </p>
<p>When I found the criticisms start to sting, I would kid myself that they came because of my age not my gender.</p>
<p>As a 14 year girl who discovered physics as a result of an inspirational teacher at an all-girls school, it never entered my head to question whether a women could succeed in science. I figured out that I needed to get a PhD as the basic entry requirement to being a professional physicist, and off I went. </p>
<p>When at university I started to note some significant differences, particularly around exam time, when my male friends would seem supremely confident after exams, whereas I and my female friends would instantly agonise over the things we found too difficult. It took me a while to realise that this was a confidence gap rather than an ability gap, as the gender split was never evident after the results came out.</p>
<p>One of the most transformative things that made a difference to me, and stopped me being one of the “leaks” in the career pipeline, was when I was fortunate enough to secure a Royal Society University Research Fellowship at The University of Southampton at age 27. </p>
<p>This meant that I no longer had any job security issues, and that I knew I could pursue my dreams in science without sacrificing the choice to have a family. A few years later, when my husband and I had our first child, and I was working four days a week after my return to work, the director of the centre in which I was working spontaneously reframed my role as being full-time, while only requiring me to come in four days. The sense of feeling valued I got from gave me a huge boost and my team grew to over 25 people.</p>
<p>It is a great joy being able to mentor emerging scientists, but it is sobering to reflect on the stark differences I have experienced in talking to these young scientists. The majority of the men have an attitude of “I’m enjoying myself, doing well, let’s see where this takes me”, whereas many of the women ask for some certainty that they will have job security into the future so they can contemplate parenthood. </p>
<p>It’s clear that while we certainly attract outstandingly capable women into STEM, we need to do something really different to keep them there. The current system, which typically involves a sequence of short term contracts, simply doesn’t work for many women, so they leave. We simply can’t afford to lose half of our talent pool if we want science and technology to play a major role in transforming Australia’s future.</p>
<p>I am thrilled that we have launched the SAGE pilot, which will enable us to drive the adoption of best practice in our universities and medical research institutes. I am proud that The University of South Australia is one of the inaugural members of the Athena SWAN Charter in Australia. </p>
<p>This focus, which isn’t on understanding the problem, but is rather on concrete action based on changing institutional policies and practices is just what we need at this time. I very much hope that by the time my children go to university they will never be in a room where the filter for who is at the table is based on gender rather than talent and drive.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/95005/original/image-20150916-11977-1n8kxy1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/95005/original/image-20150916-11977-1n8kxy1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/95005/original/image-20150916-11977-1n8kxy1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/95005/original/image-20150916-11977-1n8kxy1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/95005/original/image-20150916-11977-1n8kxy1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/95005/original/image-20150916-11977-1n8kxy1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/95005/original/image-20150916-11977-1n8kxy1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/95005/original/image-20150916-11977-1n8kxy1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Women are already working in all fields of science.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Australian Synchrotron</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p><strong>Maggie Hardy</strong><br>
<em>Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Queensland in the Institute for Molecular Bioscience</em></p>
<p>Google provides two definitions of the word <a href="https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=define:+sage">sage</a>. The first is “an aromatic plant.” The second is where we hope to see ourselves but half of us don’t: “a profoundly wise man.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94952/original/image-20150916-11975-18i48on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94952/original/image-20150916-11975-18i48on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/94952/original/image-20150916-11975-18i48on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=222&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94952/original/image-20150916-11975-18i48on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=222&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94952/original/image-20150916-11975-18i48on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=222&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94952/original/image-20150916-11975-18i48on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94952/original/image-20150916-11975-18i48on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/94952/original/image-20150916-11975-18i48on.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=279&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The definition of ‘sage’ has a gender bias.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Wikimedia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In many ways, this is where the challenge lies: it is one of a mounting pile of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microaggression_theory">microaggressions</a> directed towards women.</p>
<p>Researchers have helpfully identified <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/03/the-5-biases-pushing-women-out-of-stem">four major patterns of bias</a> women in STEM careers face at work in the United States. Black women face an additional fifth type of bias.</p>
<p>I still think it’s great to be a scientist. I have three children under three years of age, and for me and many others a career in research is a fantastic place to be a <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/comment/science-offers-great-careers-for-women-20150422-1mqgam.html">working mom</a>, despite the need to account for career interruptions due to maternity leave.</p>
<p>But we still need real change to support women researchers and their careers. We should protect researchers from sexual harassment at work, as I’ve outlined previously <a href="http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v512/n7513/full/512136d.html">here</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-need-to-talk-about-the-sexual-abuse-of-scientists-31059">here</a>. Policy should support <a href="https://theconversation.com/future-fellowship-cuts-hit-early-stage-researchers-hardest-39180">early-career researchers</a>, especially at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_ranks_(Australia_and_New_Zealand)">level B/C</a> mark where women start to evaporate. </p>
<p>We should support science communication and engagement, because if people don’t know the value of our research <a href="https://theconversation.com/budget-cuts-are-harder-if-people-know-the-benefits-of-research-40324">how can we save funding for science</a> at budget time?</p>
<p>We need to recruit and retain excellence in a way that proportionally represents the diversity of our nation. The challenges I face as a white woman <a href="https://theconversation.com/early-career-researchers-the-missing-link-for-stem-diversity-38026">are compounded</a> for women of colour, and conversations about equity should be inclusive and intersectional.</p>
<p>There’s another definition of “<a href="http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/169730?rskey=aggZnH&result=3&isAdvanced=false#eid">sage</a>” given in the Oxford English Dictionary: practically wise, rendered prudent or judicious by experience. With any luck, this is what the SAGE Forum will help us all become.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Suzanne Cory</strong><br>
<em>Immediate Past President, Australian Academy of Science, and Honorary Distinguished Professorial Fellow, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research</em></p>
<p>When I was growing up, my mother and her peers gave up their paid jobs when they got married, to look after their families and support their husbands’ careers. They also contributed greatly to society as unpaid volunteers – at the local baby health centre, on school committees, delivering meals on wheels or organising local charity events. </p>
<p>But my mother had yearned to be an opera singer. In unguarded moments, she and her friends would admit to feeling frustrated that they hadn’t had the chance to achieve their own personal dreams, or be seen clearly as individuals rather than simply as a mother, carer or wife.</p>
<p>The role of women in our society was changing by the time I took my first forays into the workforce. I was fortunate to have male mentors who always supported my career. Although my promotion may have been slower than it should have been, I never felt that any door was closed to me. But a great deal more change is needed if every woman is to have the opportunity to fulfil her potential in society.</p>
<p><em>This is an extract from the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/boyerlectures/people-for-science/5697312">Boyer Lecture</a> from September 2014.</em></p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Amanda Barnard</strong><br>
<em>Office of the Chief Executive (OCE) Science Leader and Head of the Virtual Nanoscience Laboratory at CSIRO</em></p>
<p>Like all women in STEM, I endeavour to conduct myself as if my gender is irrelevant, assuming that I’m judged on my skills and knowledge alone. I conduct myself this way because that is the way I want to be treated, and the person I want to be. But I know it is also a bit naïve.</p>
<p>Like many women working in STEM, I have experienced my share of discrimination, but it has not been a defining characteristic of my career. I’ve noticed during my time in Australia and abroad that this varies by nation, by organisation, and as a function of time.</p>
<p>I’ve had good experiences, where I can honestly say my gender played no part in how I have been perceived, and I’ve had bad experiences where I would have to be in a state of utter denial not to recognise unintentional biases from colleagues. Some of these interactions have bordered on insulting, but I know they were not intended that way.</p>
<p>One such occurrence was earlier this week. For many years these incidents played on my mind, and I admit I have occasionally reevaluated my decision to dedicate my career to STEM as a result of them. </p>
<p>In more recent years I have decided to turn it on its head and see the positive side. Like some women in STEM I have found myself to be the only female in a meeting, or on a committee or part of a project, and I choose to see this as a competitive advantage. I think differently, and I bring something different to the table. I’m proud of that, and would not change it for the world.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Chloe Warren</strong><br>
<em>PhD student, DNA Repair Group, Hunter Medical Research Centre and University of Newcastle</em></p>
<p>During my science outreach work, I get so excited when I see little girls getting interested in science. But I’ve had parents ask me what it’s like to work in academia, and I have to honestly tell them that it’s probably in their kids’ best interests to look elsewhere. </p>
<p>We spend so much effort thinking about ways to make science – especially maths and physics – more accessible and interesting for girls. But, to be honest, that’s not even half the battle. </p>
<p>People shouldn’t have to compromise between having a happy family and having a fulfilling career. Yet, so often it falls to women to make the difficult decisions. Having children doesn’t have to be a deal breaker. </p>
<p>I’ve seen so many wonderful female colleagues who’ve found returning to work so challenging and inflexible, that they’re unable to continue on with that same passion for science as before they left. </p>
<p>The academic structure grew up around a world comprised of full time workers with full time wives. It’s not going to evolve of its own accord to support a modern workforce comprised of both genders, working part and full time together. The SAGE initiative provides an opportunity for us to reclaim the academic structure to make it work for us and everyone.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/47631/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Suzanne Cory is President of the Australian Academy of Science, which hosted the SAGE Forum and launched the SAGE pilot program.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Maggie Hardy is on the Executive Board of the Australian Early- and Mid-Career Researcher Forum, an initiative of the Australian Academy of Science. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nalini Joshi is co-chairwoman of the SAGE Forum.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amanda Barnard, Chloe Warren, and Tanya Monro do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What is it like to be a woman working in the sciences? While there are hurdles to overcome, there are joys as well. The new SAGE initiative hopes to make STEM even more amenable to women.Suzanne Cory, Research Professor, Walter and Eliza Hall InstituteAmanda Barnard, Office of the Chief Executive (OCE) Science Leader, and Head of the Virtual Nanoscience Laboratory, CSIROChloe Warren, PhD Student, University of NewcastleMaggie Hardy, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of QueenslandNalini Joshi, Professor of Mathematics, University of SydneyTanya Monro, Deputy Vice Chancellor Research & Innovation, University of South AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.