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RST Apology to Tasmanian Aboriginal people 2021.

What is it like to be a woman in STEMM? Gender bias, sexual harassment, and the myth of meritocracy

Lectures and Events

Summary

Women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) fields worldwide, particularly in leadership positions.  For instance, Australian women comprise more than half of science PhD graduates and early career researchers, but just 20% of senior academics in universities and research institutes.  This lecture will explore the reasons why gender bias in STEMM matters in more detail by drawing on data from an ongoing sociological study focusing on the leadership experiences of 25 women in STEMM fields who were all participants in a three-week transformational leadership program in Antarctica in December 2016.  Key themes for discussion include women’s experiences of sexism and gender bias, sexual harassment and managing caring responsibilities.  This lecture will also explore why women in STEMM often internalise the problem of gender equity in STEMM and blame themselves for their challenging organisational experiences. 

Dr Meredith Nash is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Tasmania.  Her research explores the depth and enduring character of gender-based inequalities of position and power.  For the last 10 years, her research has engaged specifically with four key sites where gender inequality persists including: reproduction and parenting, organizational culture, media, and leisure/sport.  She is the author of Making postmodern mothers: Pregt embodiment, baby bumps, and body image (2012) and the editor of Reframing reproduction: Conceiving gendered experiences (2014).  Her new co-edited book Reading Girls: Postfeminism, feminism, authenticity and gendered performance in contemporary television was published this month by Palgrave.

Date:

July 4, 2017

Time:

12:00 am

Region:

South

Location:

South

Speaker:

Dr Meredith Nash

Acknowledgement of Country

The Royal Society of Tasmania acknowledges, with deep respect, the traditional owners of this land, and the ongoing custodianship of the Aboriginal people of Tasmania. The Society pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge that Tasmanian Aboriginal Peoples have survived severe and unjust impacts resulting from invasion and dispossession of their Country. As an institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, the Royal Society of Tasmania recognises Aboriginal cultural knowledge and practices and seeks to respect and honour these traditions and the deep understanding they represent.

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On 15 February 2021, the Royal Society of Tasmania offered a formal Apology to the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.