Gender inclusion in science funding

How I hope the #iwd2024 theme of ‘Count Her in: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress.’ meets action: >> BANISH THE GAP Every company with a gender pay gap – and we’re going to know most of your names in February when the Workplace Gender Equality Agency publishes the data – closes it by Dec 2024. >> MEN AS ALLIES More men actively mentor, sponsor and champion their female counterparts so those women can progress their careers/businesses faster. More men step in when they see discrimination/bias/abuse, to take the load off women. >> FIX SYSTEMS, NOT WOMEN We banish any ‘fixing women’ discussions when talking about gender pay and retirement gaps, and instead focus on fixing systems. >> SHARE THE LOAD Every large company with an *extended unpaid* (usually 1-2 years) parenting leave option encourages dads to take it up, sending the clear message that unpaid caring work is to be shared between parents and is not just the domain of mums. >> SUPER ON PARENTING LEAVE Every big company follows the lead of those good folks who’ve done it already and opts to pay super on paid parenting leave for all parents. Do it now so you look good, before it’s a legislated requirement. >> VISIBLE ROLE MODELS Every education department in the country fixes the dearth of female role models in high school science curricula and textbooks per IncludeHer …then audits the same across all curricula and textbooks, and all year levels, fixing any gaps they find. >> SCALING FACTORS Grant providers acknowledge the gender pay gap’s impact on the ability to save matched funding and introduces a scaling factor to account for that handicap. >> ADJUST FOR BIAS Investors, including angels and VCs, use a personal checklist in all pitches to ensure that for every prevention (downside focused) question they ask a prospective female founder, they also ask *at least* one promotion (upside focused) question to adjust for bias. >> 10%+ VC TO FEMALE FOUNDERS Equity Clear publishing its members' investment-by-gender performance sparks massive action to get more investment into businesses led by female founders and teams, and the percentage of investment in those businesses exceeds 10% within a year. >> DAD + DAUGHTER MONEY CHATS I’d like every father to talk to their daughters about investing. How you do it, what the risks are, and how you manage them included. Don’t talk about their spending habits. Show them the power of compounding and let that motivate them to save. ------------- Notice how none of those are actions for women alone to do. I’m not saying I want women to be better savers and better investors. They are already good at those things. …they just need more income to save and invest. I’m not saying I want women to ask for more pay rises, or investment, or apply for more grants. They already do. …they’re just awarded them less often than men are. Let's fix it ALL. Pics with fab women: Kat Ross and Sandra Tuohy at Women in Technology WA Inc. (WiTWA)!

Happy International Women’s Day 💜 A gender gap persists in STEM globally. We’ve made progress, but women are still woefully under-represented. Tackling our greatest challenges - improving health to combating climate change to developing AI as a force for good - must harness all talent. Gender diversity expands and extends the talent pool and is essential as today’s technologies demand different ‘Power’ skills: ▪️Emotional Intelligence: to manage emotions and navigate interpersonal relationships effectively, enhancing teamwork and leadership in STEM ▪️ Collaboration: fostering effective teamwork, with a focus on joint problem-solving ▪️ Adaptability: STEM is moving fast, I see that every day, being able to quickly learn and adjust to is indispensable ▪️ Empathy: drives solutions that truly resonate with human needs ▪️ Creativity: Brings unique perspectives that fuel innovation ▪️ Ethics: development is responsible and beneficial for society However ▫️Women are given smaller research grants and, while 33.3% of all researchers, only 12% of STEM academics are women ▫️In cutting edge fields such as AI, only 1 in five (22%) is a woman ▫️Despite a shortage of skills driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, women still account for only 28% of engineering and 40% of computer science graduates ▫️Female researchers have shorter, less well-paid careers. Their work is underrepresented in high-profile journals and they are more often passed over for promotion ▫️Although STEM fields are widely regarded as critical to economies, so far most countries have not achieved gender equality in STEM So what? Not only is this unethical, unfair it’s also misinformed, I mean stupid: ▪️The crash test dummy is a classic case. Initially, modelled on the average male body. Women were 47% more likely to be seriously injured and 17% to die in car crashes. Despite efforts, the gap in safety due to a lack of diverse testing persists ▪️Cardiovascular research has long been skewed towards men. Women are 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed with heart attacks and treatment is less effective ▪️Trials for medications did not sufficiently account for gender in pharmacokinetics so dosages were based on male biology, women experience adverse drug reactions nearly 1.7 times more often ▪️Medical devices have focused on male anatomy, for example, women are 20% more likely to have a stroke or die within 30 days of being treated with stents for artery disease ▪️Voice recognition technologies were developed using data from men leading to error rates for women’s voices up to 70% higher ▪️Famously Amazon discovered that its AI-based screening was biased against women favoring male candidates by a significant margin ▪️Facial recognition has error rates of up to 34.7% for dark-skinned women, vs 0.8% for light-skinned men So, should you need it, today is a reminder that women play a critical role in STEMs and that our participation must be strengthened #iwd2024 #BeEqual #GenderEquality #DEI

Where Do the Women Go? I work with a lot of scientists every day. On #WomenInScience Day, one short observation—and some hard facts: In my workshops with grad students and university administration, I often see more women than men. But as I move to PostDoc workshops, the numbers drop. And when working with professors, the gender gap is undeniable. This isn’t just my experience. The data tells the same story: Fact 1: Women earn nearly 50% of PhDs in many scientific fields—but make up far fewer professors. Fact 2: Women receive less funding and are cited less than their male colleagues. Fact 3: Many leave academia due to a lack of support, bias, and barriers to leadership. The question isn’t just why this happens—but what can we do? Solution 1: Mentor and sponsor early-career women. Visibility matters. Solution 2: Call out bias in hiring, promotions, and funding. Solution 3: Redefine leadership so balancing family and research isn’t an impossible choice. Science loses when talented women leave. Today, let’s not just celebrate women in science—let’s commit to changing the system so they stay, lead, and thrive. Who’s a woman in science that has inspired you? Let’s amplify their work! #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience

Did you know that in 2022, women’s participation in #research reached the parity zone for the first time, with a total of 41% of researchers being women? While this is a #milestone to celebrate, this figure drops to 27% for women in advanced #career stages. The retention of women in research and their #underrepresentation in #leadership positions remain critically challenging and call for #urgent #action. Women are also less likely to secure research #grants, be named in #articles (and/or being lead authors in #publications), and receive #citations when compared to men. And the situation gets even worse if you're not white. In the USA for example, Black and Hispanic women in #STEM jobs earn about $20,000 less annually than their counterparts (yes, you read it right!). Women from the #GlobalSouth in #Africa, #LatinAmerica, #Asia face compounded challenges due to #language #barriers, structural #machismo and lack of international recognition. We need #systemic #change to ensure women are not only participating in #science but leading it, thriving, and being properly recognized. This includes addressing implicit biases, providing leadership models and #mentors, and ensuring #equalopportunities for grants and access to career #development. As #RuthBaderGinsburg once said, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” As we celebrate the progress achieved, we should also acknowledge the work that still needs to be done to break down these #barriers and create a more #inclusive and #equitable #scientific and #globalhealth #community. Women from the Global South and non-native #English speakers, need support to overcome additional challenges and achieve their full #potential. Because everyone deserves a place on the table and #diversity matters! Read more on The Lancet Regional Health Americas: https://lnkd.in/g4PN9Wv6 #GenderEquality #genderequity #WomenInScience #GlobalHealth #EquityAdvocate #WomenInLeadership #SystemicChange #GlobalSouth #EquityandInclusion #DiversityInScience #accesstocare #womenleaders #publichealth #healthforall #SDGs #sustainabledevelopment #WomenInGlobalHealthLusophone #RBG

Let’s break down barriers!    As the climate tech sector accelerates innovation to combat climate change, a troubling gender disparity in funding persists. A recent analysis from Jenni Chance, Ludo Findlay and Olivia Byrne derived from PwC’s ‘State of Climate Tech 2024’ report highlights some critical takeaways:    𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Solo female founders captured just 5.28% of climate tech deals in early 2024 and a mere 1.14% of total funding; male-only founders dominate with 91.56% of total funding.    𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲-𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡: Women founders are slightly better represented in early-stage funding, securing 3.79%—higher than the general norm of 2% across all VC sectors. However, their share diminishes drastically in mid and late stages, indicating a worrying trend as startups progress.    𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬: Female founders are particularly active in specific sectors, with Industrial and FALU (Food, Agriculture, Land Use) each accounting for 31% of deals.    𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Notably, over one-third of deals involving female founders focus on climate adaptation, showcasing a commitment to solutions that address the pressing impacts of climate change. This contrasts with male founders, where only 13% of funding is directed to similar offerings.    In conclusion, while female founders in climate tech showcase remarkable resilience and innovative solutions, systemic barriers remain. It is vital that we foster an environment that supports their ventures through advocacy and targeted initiatives. Together, we can amplify the voices and innovations crucial to our planet’s future.  💚💪     Find the link to the full article in the comments.    #ClimateTech #FemaleFounders #Investment #GenderEquity #Sustainability