Dalhousie University

LISTSERV Home Page

   
 

Help for FABLIST Archives


FABLIST Archives

FABLIST Archives


FABLIST@KIL-LSV-2.ITS.DAL.CA


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

FABLIST Home

FABLIST Home

FABLIST  February 2002

FABLIST February 2002

Subject:

Elitism, discrimination against women in UK Royal Scientists?

From:

Doug Hunt <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Feminist Approaches to Bioethics <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Tue, 19 Feb 2002 09:55:59 -0500

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (69 lines)

From Science Magazine

UNITED KINGDOM:
Parliament Takes Aim at Royal Society
Adam Bostanci*

CAMBRIDGE, U.K.--A showdown is looming between Britain's oldest and most respected
scientific institution and the U.K.'s House of Commons. Responding to long-standing concerns
over elitism and discrimination against women at the Royal Society, the Commons' Select
Committee for Science and Technology has launched a probe of how the society and similar
institutions should use public money and how they elect members.

The Royal Society, founded in 1660, received $37 million from the government last year, most
of which it spent on postdoctoral research fellowships and travel grants. It also organizes
meetings, publishes journals, and acts as an independent "voice of science" for the
government. Each year, the society bestows lifelong membership on 42 new "fellows." But
despite a policy of equal opportunity, only 44 of its present 1216 fellows are women.
Moreover, 62% of them are based in London, Oxford, or Cambridge, home to the country's top
universities.

Select Committee chair Ian Gibson, former dean of biology at the University of East Anglia
in Norwich, says he wants to find out why the society's fellows do not reflect the makeup of
the wider scientific community. He also wants to ensure that there isn't duplication of
effort among the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and other learned
societies in areas such as the popularization of science. "That outcome includes the
possibility of more money for learned societies," he says. His goal is to achieve "a
complete revamp and modernization" of the Royal Society.

Robert May, president of the Royal Society and former government chief scientist, told
Science he acknowledges that the society is "working against the pyramid" of gender
inequality and is actively trying to identify women scientists who may have been overlooked.
It has also recently changed its nomination rules: Starting this year, a candidate needs to
be nominated by only two fellows instead of six, which may make it easier for women to be
nominated. "We also try to have women on all our committees, but that turns out to be a
burden for [the female fellows], because there are so few," says May. However, he says, "we
will not have different standards of election [for men and women]."

Early reaction from scientists supports that view. Plant scientist Lorna Casselton, a Royal
Society fellow at Oxford University, agrees that doctoring the selection process to favor
women would be unacceptable: "I don't think women would like to see double standards
applied." All the female fellows contacted by Science stressed that they had never
experienced or seen any discrimination in the selection of candidates. "The problem is with
society, not with the Society," says physiologist Frances Ashcroft, a fellow at Oxford
University. Fewer women follow careers in science, and the proportion of women in the Royal
Society is the same as the proportion holding scientific chairs in British universities, she
says.

The Select Committee intends to call the Royal Society and other societies to give evidence
after March. It will be an "interesting battle," says Gibson. But he may have little power
to influence the inner workings of the Royal Society. "Once the committee has discovered how
we elect fellows, we will welcome its ideas," counters May.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With additional reporting by Anna Baynham.

Volume 295, Number 5558, Issue of 15 Feb 2002, p. 1212.
Copyright © 2002 by The American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights
reserved.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available in an effort
to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy,
scientific, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair
use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving similar information for
research and educational purposes. For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml If you wish to use copyrighted material for
purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

Advanced Options


Options

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password


Search Archives

Search Archives


Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe


Archives

February 2025
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
March 2024
January 2024
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
June 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
November 2018
October 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000
November 2000
October 2000
September 2000

ATOM RSS1 RSS2



LISTSERV.DAL.CA

CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager