Dr Ann Dixon: In 10 years has anything changed for Women and Girls in Science?
We spoke to six women – undergraduates and researchers from the University of Warwick – to learn about their experiences of nurturing talent in girls and women in stem. There remain barriers entry with the UN reporting only 12% of members in national science academies are women. And for women and girls marginalised by culture, disabilities, rural deprivation and those who identify as LGBTQ+ – the barriers to entry and progression are even higher.
It’s been 10 years since the UN announced the first International Day of Women and Girls in Science to highlight the gender gap in Stem-related fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and the slow progress of women into senior positions. As of 2023, the number of women graduates in Stem had increase by 5% to just 35% since 2014, when the Awareness Day launched.
Dr Ann Dixon
Reader of Biological Chemistry Department of Chemistry, The University of Warwick
“It wasn't until starting my first permanent academic post where I noticed an issue with the “leaky pipeline” of women in science. Until then I was a bit of a denier, which is ironic given my current portfolio of equality diversity and inclusion (EDI) work now. I just didn't see a problem in my early career, but I can clearly remember when it hit me like a brick, and I have actively mentored women ever since.”
Was there much support in the USA for women entering science?
"When I entered middle school in the USA (about 12 years old), I had an excellent chemistry teacher, and it just came incredibly naturally to me. At that time, in the mid-1980’s, teachers were already recognising the lack of women in STEM and encouraging girls who had a proficiency in these subjects to pursue them further.”
How did your family support your interest in science?
“I came from a working-class background in Shawnee, Kansas, and I didn’t have a lot of exposure to science in my family. But my parents raised me and my two brothers to focus on our education, and there were rewards and lots of praise if we got good grades. As I moved through my career, my family have always been interested in what type of research I am doing.”
What transformed your career?
“I had a postdoc position at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA, and I would get to see talks by amazing scientists that totally blew my mind. I could see presentations from experts in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), a technique that I still use, that changed the way I think about science. I also had a postdoc at Yale with a world-leader in my field and joined a group of young scientists at the top of their game.”
How easy was your transition to be a research leader in the UK?
“When I came to the UK, there were very few women in our department, but everyone was very welcoming. There was a senior female professor who made sure I had everything I needed, and many of the staff offered me help and even spare equipment. There were daily chats in the coffee room where people would discuss teaching and research. At the time I remember feeling like a real outsider, having been trained outside the UK system, but the department now is very international.”
You have departmental responsibilities, how are you supporting women’s progress?
“I have been an EDI lead in Chemistry since 2017 and led our recently awarded Athena Swan Silver application. Recently I took on the role of Deputy head of department focussed on staff development and culture. One thing I am really excited about are changes we have made to our recruitment process, trialling ‘gender split shortlisting’, longer advert times, and ‘transparent interviewing’ (sending all interview questions to candidates). All of these have worked incredibly well in our last recruitment round and were well-received by staff.”
What do women bring to research?
"Women bring a new perspective on almost every situation, and in my experience are far more likely to challenge preconceived notions in science and academia about what excellence means. Women are comfortable questioning the status quo and seeking out different solutions – we are strong in this space. This is where creative change and improvement comes from."
