Gender disparities in the life sciences are well-known, but where do things stand today? In this meeting, TaMIS explored national trends and how Penn State ranks in gender equity among faculty, postdocs, and graduate students. We also discussed actions people can take at the individual, lab, academic unit, and university level to advocate for gender equity in science. By taking action at all levels—from personal initiatives to institutional policies—we can foster a more equitable and inclusive scientific community for all genders.

Key Ideas Discussed:

1. The current landscape of gender equity
   The number of women earning doctorates is rising, and in some fields, they even outnumber men. However, at the undergraduate level, women outnumber men, but this trend reverses in graduate programs. Further, there’s still a discrepancy between the number of women in graduate programs and those awarded doctorates, indicating significant attrition. The drop-off tends to occur from graduate school to assistant professor positions, often due to child-rearing responsibilities and mental health challenges.
2. Penn State gender distributions (Fall 2023)
   1. Faculty: 3,597 male; 2,755 female (~25% fewer women)
   2. Postdocs: 302 male; 223 female (~27% fewer women)
   3. Graduate Assistants: 2,662 male; 2,356 female (~12% fewer women)
   4. Academic Administrators: 135 male; 108 female (~20% fewer women)
   5. Executives: 21 male; 17 female (~20% fewer women)
   6. Staff: 4,417 male; 6,772 female (~50% more women)
3. Challenges to change
   The current academic culture often perpetuates gender disparities, particularly in leadership and awards distribution. Further, self-selection and inherent biases influence who rises to leadership roles, further biasing against women. Even outside of administrative leadership, significant gaps in career advancement exist post-graduate school; a significant gap exists between the number of women graduating and those moving into postdoc positions. Male faculty also tend to dominate academic positions, and the slow turnover means it may take time for gender equity to catch up.
4. Six Domains of Gender Equity
   Ceci, Kahn, and Williams defined six domains where gender biases may be impacting the careers of women in their 2023 article in Psychological Science in the Public Interest. They are listed below:
   1. Are similarly accomplished women and men treated differently by hiring committees?
   2. Are grant reviewers biased against female PIs?
   3. Are journal reviewers biased against female authors?
   4. Are recommendation letters biased against female tenure-track applicants?
   5. Are faculty salaries biased against women?
   6. Are student teaching evaluations biased against female instructors?
   7. Are there gender differences in publication rates?
5. How to be an ally
   Participants in our discussion talked about the things they have done, have seen, or would like to see from themselves or their colleagues to change the culture and improve gender equity.
   1. Mentorship and Sponsorship: Actively mentor and support women in academia.
   2. Workplace Advocacy: Stand up for gender equity in your department.
   3. Challenge Biases and Stereotypes: Identify the biases within yourself and your community and push back against harmful stereotypes.
   4. Provide Networking Opportunities: Help women build professional networks.
   5. Promote Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: Child-rearing responsibilities and mental health struggles may cause some of the gender inequities seen in academia. Providing space for individuals to meet those responsibilities or address their health issues help them to be more successful in academia and help retain women in science.

Actions to take at all levels:

• Personal
  • Recognize your own biases and challenge them
  • Be empathetic and acknowledge unseen contributions of your colleagues
  • Foster open communication and be honest about struggles you might be facing (have the tough conversations)
  • Encourage personal growth in yourself
• Lab
  • Address the “minority tax” and ensure mental and administrative burdens are shared equitably
  • Set clear expectations and hold everyone accountable
• Administrative unit (department, college, etc.)
  • Recognize and reward Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) activities
  • Implement unconscious bias training and track mentor effectiveness
  • Establish mentoring committees for junior faculty to provide better support
• University/Discipline
  • Increase visibility for gender equity issues and diverse individuals
  • Create explicit tenure requirements that include recognition of JEDI service
  • Ensure data transparency and regular reporting on gender equity progress