Mar 12 (edited) • General discussion
Recap of Session 1+ additional resources
Hi, everyone! I enjoyed connecting with those that could make it today. Below is a quick recap of our session, plus a couple of resources:
1) The slides are attached.
2) Here is a link to a version of the Gender Bias Assessment that you can use with institutions, for those of you interested in assessing/improving your institutions.
Those that attended should have also received an email of the recording from Fathom. I wanted to check before adding here the recording for Vera if everyone is ok with that?
PowHer Circle Cohort 1 Session 1 - March 12
Meeting Purpose
Key Takeaways
- Shared Motivation: Participants are driven by personal experiences with gender inequality (e.g., domestic violence, mental load) to learn, collaborate, and advocate for systemic change.
- Bias Exploration: A "vote with your feet" exercise revealed how internalized biases persist despite rational disagreement, often reinforced by societal pressure and past negative experiences.
- Systemic Barriers: Academia was identified as a key example of institutional patriarchy, where female researchers self-censor or align with male-dominated biomedical models to protect their careers, hindering progress.
- Scheduling Challenge: Daylight saving changes create a major scheduling conflict, requiring a new time poll for the next meeting.
Topics
Participant Introductions & Motivations
- Myra Betron (Facilitator): 25 years in international development; goal is to move gender research beyond academic paywalls into public dialogue to counter pushback.
- Natalie (Germany): Runs a business counseling women on care work and mental load; believes the gender care gap is the root cause of other inequalities.
- Kata Tóth (Hungary): IT management; survivor of domestic abuse; transitioning to full-time coaching for women in leadership to be a more effective advocate.
- Kate Swoffer (Australia): PhD on dementia and disability rights; aims to shift the field from a biomedical to a disability model, challenging male-dominated systems that label women as the problem.
- Karen Gosbee (Canada): Survivor of 23-year intimate partner violence; seeks to understand and proactively change systemic inequality in areas like healthcare and mental health.
Group Norms & Program Overview
- Norms: Safe space, confidentiality, listen to understand, step up/back to ensure balanced participation.
- Program Focus: A coaching container for moving from insight to action, not a data lecture. Weeks 1–4: Reflect on biases → map patterns → understand privilege. Weeks 5–8: Practice interruption.
Exploring Biases: "Vote with Your Feet" Exercise
- "A man should be the one to pursue a woman..." Consensus: Disagree rationally. Nuance: Internalized desire to be pursued (Kata) and past negative experiences with initiating (Kata) or feeling it was "wrong" (Kate) highlight the gap between belief and practice.
- "Most women want a man who is stronger and more successful..." Consensus: Disagree, viewing it as a patriarchal construct. Nuance: Natalie agreed, citing the "Tradwife" movement, where women may choose a traditional path for perceived comfort, avoiding the double burden of career and home.
- "A woman who chooses not to have children is missing out..." Consensus: Strongly disagree. Rationale: Societal pressure is a tool for power and control (Karen); women should define their own roles and not feel obligated to motherhood (Natalie).
- "A mother works long hours...the children usually suffer." Split: Kata agreed, citing Hungary's lack of shared parenting and poor childcare. Natalie disagreed, calling it a double standard; attachment theory doesn't require a mother as the sole caregiver.
- "Some professions are better suited to one gender..." Consensus: Disagree, with a physical caveat. Nuance: Kate noted physical limitations for some roles, but all agreed this is a bias, citing examples of women in physically demanding jobs.
- "Women create more drama in the workplace than men do." Consensus: Strongly disagree. Rationale: This is a control tactic (Karen, Kata) and a double standard (Karen); men's emotional displays are normalized as "taking charge," while women's are labeled "dramatic."
- "Sometimes it's just easier to work with men than women." Consensus: Disagree; depends on the individual. Rationale: The issue is the patriarchal system, not gender (Natalie). The "fixed pie" mentality can create competition among women.
Hot Seat: Navigating Systemic Bias in Academia
- Problem (Kate): Female academic researchers agree with Kate's progressive dementia-as-disability model but revert to male-dominated biomedical research to protect their careers.
- Impact: This self-censorship hinders progress and is enforced by fear of "cancel culture" or losing opportunities.
- Group Feedback: Academia is a highly patriarchal space (Karen). Women who succeed in these systems often protect the status quo (Karen). The solution is finding allies to create safe spaces for these conversations (Myra).
Scheduling Logistics
- Problem: Daylight saving changes create a major conflict for Kate (Australia), who will soon have a 5:30 AM start time.
- Constraints: Kate: Cannot do late nights (Australia); prefers Thursday mornings. Kata: Cannot do Wednesday office hours but is flexible for evenings.
- Resolution: Myra will send a new poll with options, likely on a Wednesday or Thursday, to find a workable time for everyone.
Next Steps
- Myra: Send a new poll with meeting time options, accounting for daylight saving changes and participant constraints.
- All: Reflect on internalized sexism and the question: "Do we have to give up certain privileges for full equality?"
Action Items
- Email session recording to Natalie, Kata, Kate, Karen, Vera - WATCH (5 secs)
- Retake gender bias self-assessment to view results - WATCH (5 secs)
- Complete gender bias self-assessment - WATCH (5 secs)
- Email DST-adjusted poll to Natalie, Kata, Kate, Karen, Vera; then schedule next session (avoid Wed) - WATCH (5 secs)
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Recap of Session 1+ additional resources
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