HR: 1330h
AN: ED22D-1251    [PDF]
TI: Meeting the Challenges for Gender Diversity in the Geosciences
AU: * Bell, R E
EM: robinb@ldeo.columbia.edu
AF: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 61 Rte. 9W, Palisades, NY 10964 United States
AU: Cane, M A
EM: mcane@ldeo.columbia.edu
AF: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 61 Rte. 9W, Palisades, NY 10964 United States
AU: Kastens, K A
EM: kastens@ldeo.columbia.edu
AF: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 61 Rte. 9W, Palisades, NY 10964 United States
AU: Miller, R B
EM: roberta@ciesin.columbia.edu
AF: Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Columbia University, 61 Rte. 9W, Palisades, NY 10964 United States
AU: Mutter, J C
EM: jcm@ldeo.columbia.edu
AF: Earth Institute of Columbia University, 405 Low Library, NY, NY 10027 United States
AU: Pfirman, S L
EM: spfirman@barnard.columbia.edu
AF: Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027 United States
AB: Women are now routinely chief scientists on major cruises, lead field parties to all continents, and have risen to leadership positions in professional organizations, academic departments and government agencies including major funding agencies. They teach at all levels, advise research students, make research discoveries and receive honors in recognition of their achievements. Despite these advances, women continue to be under-represented in the earth, ocean, and atmospheric sciences. As of 1997 women received only 29% of the doctorates in the earth, atmospheric, and oceanographic sciences and accounted for only 13% of employed Ph.D.s in these fields. Women's salaries also lag: the median annual salary for all Ph.D. geoscientists was \$60,000; for women the figure is \$47,000. Solving the problem of gender imbalance in the geosciences requires understanding of the particular obstacles women face in our field. The problem of under-representation of women requires that earth science departments, universities and research centers, funding agencies, and professional organizations like AGU take constructive action to recognize the root causes of the evident imbalance, and enact corrective policies. We have identified opportunities and challenges for each of these groups. A systematic study of the flux of women at Columbia University enabled a targeted strategy towards improving gender diversity based on the observed trends. The challenge for academic institutions is to document the flux of scientists and develop an appropriate strategy to balance the geoscience demographics. Based on the MIT study, an additional challenge faces universities and research centers. To enhance gender diversity these institutions need to develop transparency in promotion processes and open distribution of institutional resources. The challenge for granting agencies is to implement policies that ease the burden of extensive fieldwork on parents. Many fields of science require long work hours but the geosciences are unique in their requirement of extended fieldwork in remote locations, which raises issues for parents, and may be one reason geosciences lags behind other science disciplines in gender diversity. AGU and AGI have both conducted comprehensive and important studies on the status of women in science at all levels. Conducting flux studies and identifying the decision points in the advancement of scientists will provide fundamental data for designing successful programs to enhance diversity in the geosciences. Professional organizations such as AGU and the Geological Society of America should develop projects to monitor the career patterns of scientists, both men and women, beyond graduate school and the first job.
DE: 1724 Ocean sciences
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting