Make your voice heard

Academia is built on structures which keep those with power in power. As a consequence, many of us are positoned as 'different' (e.g. for reasons to do with race, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation, class). This also means we are often silenced or marginalised. There are systems and cultures in place which enable this to happen. The aim of this blog is to provide a space where we can challenge these power structures and speak out against these inequalities. This blog is for anyone who has experienced or witnessed, is experiencing or witnessing, inequality in academia (irrespective of position). This is a site where we can make our voices heard. This is intended as both a way to realise that we are not alone in our experiences and as a mechanism through which we can challenge these power structures. Tell your stories here by using the posts below.
The blogs below list some of the topics that have been raised in conversations I have had and through personal experience. If there are other topics that you think need to be included please let me know.

Anonymity on this blog

While email addresses are not displayed or available to me, a user name is shown if you log in, so keep your identity confidential and be creative with your user name! Or you can post as anonymous. (I would also caution against publicly naming your institution or department). ...... If you would prefer not to log in, email me your story, and I can add it to the blog. lookingforequality@gmail.com

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Career advice

My friend, with a full REF return was recently told she needed to develop a research reputation(!!) have you been told that you don't meet promotion criteria but don't know what they are? Have you been told you have no career in academia? what kind of career advice have you been given?
 
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1 comment:

  1. friend of inequality7 April 2011 at 10:37

    As far as I am concerned, my University has put a huge, definite stop to all my hopes of an academic career. I have been a post-doc for years. I have changed research area several times since gaining my PhD. I have seen my friends and colleagues move through the ranks and become professors. I am not less intelligent or determined than them. I was just less lucky and never had the right opportunities. I never had mentoring by other women. Other members of staff have mentors. Students have mentors. For some reason, researchers do not. A line manager will want a researcher to stay, and will not necessarily think about helping them develop their career independently. Otherwise they might leave, and who is going to run the lab then? Who is going to train the PhD students? Having the line managers to be the appraisers or advisors is not a good idea. So I made wrong career choices. Everyone kept saying "you'll find something". In fact, I convinced myself about that too. In fact, that it not true. One does not just "find something". One has to go and look for opportunities. I know all the choices were mine, but I feel strongly that having someone help to focus my goals would have made a big difference. Especially, I did not understand what having children would mean to my career. Now I know, but it is too late for me. I have two lovely children now, but no career, and no hope for one in academia. I am leaving in May. To train as a secondary school teacher. I think that the big academic gender gap can be addressed to start with by being honest with women who attempt to make it in the academic world, by giving them good, sincere advice. Women need women mentors to start with.

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