Technology helps foster the careers and aspirations of girls and women in developing countries

The guardian has published several articles in recent months showing how practical skills with computing can assist women in developing countries, or inspire girls to design apps that can not only benefit both themselves and their families in their current situations but also give them skills that may help them secure better careers in future.You can read more about the Dharavi Slum Innovation project here.

Celebrating Ada Lovelace - the woman who first saw the potential of computers

Ada Lovelace is often regarded as the first person who truly saw the potential of computers.  Although there have previously been documentaries made depicting her life, a new movie is being made by the female owned start up Monumental which aims to portray her complex character. This film reflects the increasing amount of attention are being paid to Ada Lovelace recently, partly due to the recent declaration of "Ada Lovelace day", which is the second Tuesday of October each year.  The intention of this day is to celebrate, and raise the profile of, women within STEM.  Of course, this is also an opportunity to reflect on the gender biases which are still prevalent in these industries, where women are still a minority in technical roles. This is nicely demonstrated by a recent report in The Guardian on diversity within major techology companies (Apple, Microsoft, Facebook etc). Of course, this isn't an issue that can be simply solved by positive employment policies; there needs to be an adequate suply of qualified women wanting to work in these areas.  Despite attempts over several decades, the "leaky pipe" continues to exist, with few girls choosing to take STEM subjects at each step in their education.  This emphasises why initiatives that celebrate the contributions of women and provide rolemodels to younger generations is so important.  The more girls and young women see other females succeeding in these areas, the more likely they are to pursue careers in these fields.  Consequently, Ada Lovelace is not just part of history, she is a representative of women all of the world who can inspire others to follow their own dreams and carve their own niche in this world.   

Gender pay gaps and global leaders

Posted for Liz Twigg

An interesting article from the guardian concerning the gender pay gap at universities - The university gender pay gap is down to neoliberal orthodoxy.

which mentinos this paper:

For Slow Scholarship: A Feminist Politics of Resistance through Collective Action in the Neoliberal University

Academic Bullying

Posted for Tara Woodyer

A couple of blogs concerning bullying in academic institutions

The first looks at why bullying thrives within an academic environment - Culture of cruelty.

The second looks at how some male academics are protected due to a concept of having to accept certain behaviour because of their supposed 'genius' - Protecting abusive academic men because of the 'genius' must stop.

Fieldwork, family, friendship and feeding

(Suggested by Clare Boston)

Interesting blog from Tori Herridge on the excitement of fieldwork in a Maltese cave as well as the network of friends and family and their attitudes that make such fieldwork possible with a baby. The blog highlights the importance of attitude and acceptance of others for creating an environment where a new mother feels that her presence isn’t a burden nor merely tolerated.

 

Parenthood and career – how do you change?

(Suggested by Clare Boston)

 Another interesting piece in the guardian about how parenthood changes your perspective as a researcher. Personally, it isn’t ‘Wheels on the Bus’ but ‘Let It Go’ that is the current melodic meme taking over my brain! This appropriate song maybe related to the age of your child – is there a research paper in that? More seriously, the impact of these short pieces lies in the personal stories that come across and the key issues they raise about how we work as researchers and academics and how the supposed barrier between our personal lives and our work lives are continually dissolving. How this impacts our careers is a concern. Better let it go now!

Can you be a research scientist and partner/parent?

(Suggested by Clare Boston)

 Interesting piece in the Guardian from the Royal Society on whether it is possible to have a life outside of work as a research scientist. The general tone seems to be that ‘we’, by which I assume they mean the established hierarchy, needs to be more inclusive in what is seen as a ‘normal’ working life that includes family life, having a partner and so on. So there is hope, possibly?!