Perspectives: International Women’s Day 2021
On February 11 each year we celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science followed by International Womens Day soon after on March 8th. This year I have been reflecting on what it means to be a ‘woman in science’. I still think about the fact that even in 2021, simply being a woman in science is not the norm in many disciplines and therefore worth remarking on and celebrating. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, despite great strides being made in recent years, women all too often found themselves struggling to cope and continue to experience career obstacles.
As we continue to estimate the toll the pandemic is having on the research community it has become increasingly clear that women in academia (especially BIPOC) are being left behind, and so is their work [1]. The career performance of academics is directly linked to their ability to work long hours and assumes a solid foundation of support with domestic tasks and family obligations (household maintenance, childcare) to maintain high levels of concentration and productivity [2]. For those that deviate from this ideal, especially throughout the pandemic, the expected level of productivity is unachievable and results in many lost opportunities for promotion, retention, and tenure [2].
As a graduate student, a mother, and a person with a disability/chronic-illness that makes me especially vulnerable to serious outcomes from COVID-19, I have experienced the toll firsthand. During the spring of 2020 when we first went into lockdown I watched as my childless colleagues made steady progress, successfully pivoting despite the additional stress of the pandemic on their workflow. I made progress of a different kind — pivoting into a home daycare and becoming an expert on the best toddler activities to pass the long lockdown days. My research languished until case counts dropped in the summer and we were able to secure a small home-daycare placement for our daughter. Despite a successful field-season, many long days in the lab, and an enormous amount of support and help from the lab and my HHL team members, my research is still being slowed at every turn by the pandemic. Now as we face the prospect of a third wave here in Ontario, I find myself checking case-counts daily trying to walk the tight-rope between making progress on my thesis and taking enough precautions to ensure my health and that of my family is protected. I am exhausted and yet “I have miles to go before I sleep….’[3].
So, as we celebrate this International Women’s Day, my reflection is that it is worth remembering the value of diverse voices in science. It is also worth remembering that diversity and inclusion do not happen by accident. I have been incredibly fortunate to be working in a woman led research lab with a PI who is herself a mother, but we still have a long way to go in terms of structural change to ensure our institutions are welcoming to women. Supportive practices that have helped me personally include flexible working arrangements, above average funding and family friendly lab events. If we want to celebrate women and girls in science, we should start by ensuring policies and practices reflect the needs and lived experiences of those very women and girls we wish to attract and retain. We need to create spaces where women and girls can flourish in science. Anything less is simply lip service and that is no longer good enough.
— Written by Lauren Weller, MSc candidate
Edited by Catherine Febria and Shayenna Nolan
