Forty five higher education and public sector research institutions interested in maximising the contribution of the professional scientists they employ and in comparing themselves with others in higher education have now taken part in Athena’s web surveys of professional scientists, engineers and technologists (ASSET). The pilot survey ran in April 2003 and the second survey at the end of 2004.
Earlier work by Athena had shown that at the organisational level, there was a need for hard information, to engage the attention of chief executives and senior management and against which the organisation could compare itself and its progress. ASSET offered an objective independent survey of SET employment and the differences between men and women scientists in:
their progression through the key career stages
the support and encouragement they receive
their perception of disadvantage and discrimination
their visibility and contribution to decision making
A total of 6,726 male and female academic and research scientists completed the survey questionnaires, which captured information on:
· Career Paths – how respondents got to where they are now, length of time with their current employer, interview panel composition, promotion achieved within organisation or by external application, encouragement to apply for senior posts, career breaks and difficulties returning
· Responsibilities and Participation – roles beyond teaching and research; committee memberships at institutional and departmental levels; external activities and contributions to professional societies
· Aspirations and Expectations – ambitions, the extent to which aspirations have changed; critical career success factors; knowledge of promotion criteria and procedures
· Perceptions – value departments place on individual’s contributions; equality of opportunity on promotion, salary, access to career development, to departmental funds, office and lab space, administrative and office support
Participating employers were asked for a commitment to use the results of ASSET to further Athena’s aims ‘the advancement of women in science, engineering and technology in Higher Education and a significant increase in the number of women recruited to the top posts’, and to:
· measure their progress and the compare their position against the UK situation
· contribute to the development of their SET action agenda
· raise awareness of career progression issues for women and men in SET
· inform the SET community, heads of faculties and departments
· report to senior managers, governors and equal opportunities committees and to recommend action for improvement
The preliminary results from the combined surveys were launched at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Meeting in Washington in February 2005 and are available on the project website www.athenaproject.org.uk.
The next steps
At national level ASSET’s results will be used to enable the government, the higher education and research funding councils
· to better understand the career paths of their scientists
· to make more effective use of the scientific skills of the country’s graduate and postgraduate output
· to develop strategies to attract into and retain more women (and men) in scientific careers
At organisational level-
· to disseminate good practice
· to identify practical steps to ensure equality of treatment, encouragement and progression
· to fulfil each scientist’s potential and maximise their contribution
· to promote science research as an attractive and sustainable career option for women
At individual level – to clarify the responsibilities of the individual scientist at all levels
· to take their management skills seriously
· to take responsibility for their own careers and the careers of their supporting staff
· to support those early in their careers in making informed career decisions be it to go or to stay
· to value the contribution of all to the success of their departments science
Athena’s report (No 26 available on the Athena website) on the 2003 survey in higher education found women were as ambitious as men, were as academically and research active, but did not make it to the top in the numbers that reflected their contribution to science. And, if they did get to the top, they still felt they are less valued than their male colleagues and generally disadvantaged in terms of salary, promotion and access to career development.
The lessons from the combined HE and research results are still being distilled but do not suggest any significant difference from the first survey. In the meantime the 6,500 plus scientists (over 60% men) who completed the questionnaire, know something more about Athena, perhaps have an increased awareness of the career barriers facing women, and expect their employers to take action. Forty-five major public sector employers of scientists will be able to see where they stand and are committed to use the results. Athena is now following up the universities who took part in ASSET in 2003 to see what use they have made of the findings. And there is already a wealth of information for use at a variety of levels: by science policy makers, social scientists, head of institutions, faculty deans, heads of departments and individual scientists.
Athena is now working with the Royal Society and the Equality Challenge Unit on an action agenda to meet the challenge that the findings represent
