Funding & career prospects for women in Astronomy

Dear colleagues,


Women in Astronomy and STEM careers are underrepresented (refer to https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/magazine/woman-science-gender-balancing-erc) at universities and research organizations at the permanent position level. Women researchers (especially mothers) have reported over several decades the prominent reasons for the decline in their research time, productivity, stability of their jobs (especially if they are working on fixed-term contracts), getting funds, and their pay scales due to-

1- caregiving activities at home for young children and elderly members

2- lack of funding opportunities especially for mothers

3- lack of support by the projects under which they are carrying out their research activities, conflict of interest, and unfavorable conditions

4- lack of support in the work environment and discrimination due to their personal status

5- academic appreciation - depreciation due to delayed career stability

This is a 5 mins (max) simple survey conducted by the IAU WiA Working Group to study the impact of the above factors on the career prospects and productivity of Astronomers who are women. The participants (Female and Male) have the option to join the survey with their contact details or anonymously. The results of this survey will be used by the IAU WiA WG to create awareness and inform the community about the advantages and hurdles faced by Astronomers worldwide. We will publish the results of this survey in the IAU ENSEMBLE Magazine, for the benefit of the community so that the institutions and organizations get aware of the lack of funding, and consequences that astronomers who are women face in their career and take the necessary steps to support the career of women researchers.


Best regards,

IAU Women in Astronomy Working Group

email: iauwia2124@gmail.com

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Gender *
Country *
Age (yrs) *
Do you have a permanent position? *
Do you have a full time position/contract?
Clear selection
Professional situation *
What is the ratio of women to men permanent researchers at your workplace? Are the permanent position for Astronomers who are women part-time or full-time?
 *
What is the ratio of women to men non-permanent researchers at your workplace? Are the non-permanent position for Astronomers who are women part-time or full-time?
 *
What is the ratio of women to men permanent technical staff at your workplace? Are the permanent position for Women technical staff part-time or full-time?
 *
What is the ratio of women to men non-permanent technical staff at your workplace? Are the non-permanent position for Women technical staff part-time or full-time?
 *
Was an Astronomer who is a woman hired in your institution in the last 10 years? If yes, how many?
 *
Did an Astronomer (permanent or non-permanent) who are woman win funding in the last 10 years in your institution? If yes, how many?
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What sort of support does your institute provide to encourage Astronomers who are women to apply for research funds?
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Are there any discouragement from colleagues or institutions while applying for grants such as- many people are applying, chances of getting funds are very low, admin support or competition is very high, etc.?
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Do you feel that personal factors (like origin, nationality, marital and family status, etc.) unfavorably come into consideration (unconscious bias) while evaluating funding and job applications of female Astronomers?
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Any other reasons why the women applicants have less successful proposals? *
Does your institute provide support to your research projects and grants by allowing you to lead your project as per the plan you had submitted during the proposal submission, or do you need to seek agreement/face obstacles at each step from the administrative bodies or a responsible/supervisor that was not mentioned/expected during the grant application? *
What is your opinion about reducing travel grants, conducting meetings online to reduce carbon footprint, and increasing the work contract months? *
Would you advise a researcher (non-permanent) to work on a project with data from a new instrument that is not funding her/his position? Please give reasons to support your answer.
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Did you write any funding proposals in the last 10 years? Was it a grant proposal meant to support women's careers in research? Was it successful?
*
Have you received funding or did you hire Ph.D. students or Postdocs in the last 5 years? *
If you have received funding, then did you have the liberty to choose the candidates for Ph.D. and postdoc positions? Did you use the materials (laptops, hard discs, screens, etc.) bought from the grants for yourself or do you need to return them your host institute after the project is finished?
*
Did you publish in the last 5 years? How many publications? *
Do you have children? How many? *
Do you think Women's career/productivity is slowed down due to the increased care giving (children/elderly) responsibilities, and funding applications do not include sections to address these issues completely? Please give reasons to support your answer. *
Have you evaluated a funding proposal in last 10 years? Were there any specific instructions given while evaluating the proposal of female candidates with children responsibilities (such as taking into account the part time position, unfunded position, productivity evaluation based on working hours in the contract, etc.)
 *
Are there problems faced by women members of the Jury Panel while evaluating funding proposals? *
Do you feel that there will be a long-term impact (reduced opportunities for permanent positions,  promotions, discrimination, harassment, mental health issues at work place, etc) on the career of Women researchers due to reduced funding opportunities and positions? Please give reasons to support your answer. *
What is your advice/suggestion to funding agencies and hiring committees while evaluating applications of women researchers? *
Do you think Women researchers working with 15+ years of non-permanent positions should be given permanent positions?
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Does the institute where you work organize an event for creating gender balance awareness in Astronomy on International Women's Day or any other day? If yes, do you participate in this event? If not, why?
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Are these events action-oriented (to increase the recruitment of Astronomers who are women) or mostly seminars/discussion events with unclear action plan?
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Are you interested in collaborating on this issue? (If yes, then please provide your email below) *
Professional email address, if you want to collaborate in the future (you can also participate anonymously) *
Comments/remark? *
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