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The IAU XXVth GA Women in Astronomy Meeting (WAM)
luncheon was held on Monday 21 July in the lovely Skyline Terrace of the Convention Centre North and was
was attended by over 180 IAU delegates. The event was booked out, showing a very encouraging level of
interest in the status of women in astronomy. The meeting was attended by the IAU Executive, including the
current President, the Presidents Elect for this and the next GA, several holders of the position of General
Secretary and many senior astronomers, including directors of observatories and presidents of professional bodies,
as well as many students and young astronomers.
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WAM Summary
The keynote speech was be delivered by Dr Andrea Dupree (CfA), who gave a summary of the
Women in Astronomy II meeting held in
Pasadena late June 2003. Her summary of that meeting reported that women are not represented at
highest levels; women do not receive the top honours and prizes; the number of
women in astronomy positions is not increasing at a rate commensurate with the
availability of qualified female students; that 'the playing field must be leveled' in
hiring and rewards (as gender bias is alive and well in our society even if it is
unconscious); and that astronomy is challenging, creative, and exciting! The
conclusion is that for scientific excellence, we cannot afford to lose the intellectual
power of 50% of the gene pool.
The main goal of the WAM lunch was to review the status of women in astronomy
and to plan strategies and actions for improvement. In particular, we aimed to
establish an IAU Working Group on the Status of Women in Astronomy. We were
delighted to be able to report that the proposal was approved by the IAU Executive a
few days previously. The IAU Working Group will ensure that women in astronomy
have a session at every IAU GA. The Working Group will establish a comprehensive database
of statistics of women in astronomy and coordinate the global collection of such
statistics, and work to provide a useful network for women in astronomy.
All WAM participants received a flyer with a subset of the percentage of women IAU
members, a summary of the 1992 Baltimore Charter, and seven suggested issues for
discussion including career paths & recruitment issues, role models & mentors, child
raising & childcare. Each of the 18 tables had a scribe who took notes during a 40
minute discussion to report back to the meeting in a plenary session. Some of the
recurring issues discussed included:
- Hard statistics are essential. There exist bodies of evidence from the USA, UK,
Australia, France and maybe other countries. It is essential that we compile a
uniform set of statistics.
- There are some countries (e.g. France, Italy) which have definite programs to
provide permanent jobs for young astronomers, particularly women.
- Cultural differences exist clearly no one approach works for all situations.
- Family support and flexible working conditions are essential.
For a complete record of the day, we have collected all the notes from the 18 scribes
and a more complete summary will be reported in the next IAU Information Bulletin.
We will also ask for wider contributions to goals of the Working Group (which clearly should
include contributions from people who did not attend the WAM lunch or the Sydney
GA) and constituents of the Working Group Executive Committee, which is expected to comprise
about 20 people.
A summary report was included in the IAU
Information Bulletin 94.
Where to next?
We are asking for contributions to goals of the IAU Working Group on the Status of Women in Astronomy.
A Working Group website will be setup, an Executive Committee established, and a membership
established. If you wish to be a member of the Working Group, please contact
Sarah Maddison, who will add your name to our
mailing list.
Links
Thanks...
The success of the WAM lunch was greatly helped by the feedback & suggestions of the WAM Working Group.
We also thank Andrea Dupree for her keynote speech, and the Darling Harbour Convention Centre for a lovely room and a great lunch.
And of course all the attendees, who made the meeting such a success.
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