1. Welcome! Womxn in Neuroscience Topic: Community

2. Outline Tale of Two Sexes Why bother? Toward a better balance
Diversity Begets Diversity
Why focus on science societies
Creating correlative models
Results - Cultural model best correlates with women in leadership roles in science societies
How does this relate to us in neuroscience at UO

3. When communities are more diverse, there is higher productivity
Diverse perspectives are fundamental to the success of science
Heterogeneous groups are more effective in problem solving, demonstrate greater creativity, and improve the vigor of a scholarly community (Ely & Thomas, 2001; Joy et al., 2007; Temm, 2008)
The demand for scientists is increasing
Training scientists at the current rate will lead to a deficit of 1,000,000 workers in the next decade (President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, 2012)
In order to retain high quality scientists and meet the demands of the workforce, we need to address gender bias & representation in science.

4. Percentage of women in academic roles in neuroscience declines at successive career stages
All of Neuroscience (2011)
Percent Women
Career Level
Society for Neuroscience, 2011

5. One way to increase female leadership in science is through enhancing community
people with common interests living in a particular area
Culture:
the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization

6. Who is in your science community?
Global Science Community
University Science Community
University Neuroscience Community
Your lab

7. What features do you find in a positive community and culture?
Discuss with a partner

8. Takeaways from Tale of Two Sexes:
Propel women in science through enhancing the community
Female mentoring networks
Reach out to female candidates for leadership roles
Explicit support for women in science in the community

9. Diversity begets Diversity: ‘Societal culture’ as a corollary of female leadership in science societies
Why science societies?
Career building opportunities
Self-selected membership
Relatively quick turnover of leadership
Aim to identify characteristics in societies that are correlated with gender equality
Zoology societies

10. Focused on scientific and academic zoology societies which have open enrollment
Type (Taxon or discipline), Taxonomic interest
Local, national, continental, country based
Leadership structure (panel, council, board, et.)
Leadership elected?
Leadership gender (Pres, VP, Secretary, Treasurer)
# of executive members, # of female executive members
Year society established
Statement of Diversity?
Using websites of 202 societies the following data were collected

11. Most zoology societies still lack female leadership
# of women fulfilling leadership roles
within a society
Women
Men
(out of 4 possible executive roles)
societies that have diversity statements
# on boards of scientific committees

12. 5 models using different combinations for predictors of diversity

13. Cultural model is the most informative for explaining the number of female leaders in zoological societies

14. Cultural model best correlates with female leadership on boards
Female President
Proportion of females on boards
Female leadership count (pres, VP, treasurer, secretary)

15. Main conclusion: Community culture matters to female advancement in science!
What is positive about our community culture?
What could be improved?

16. How can we create a more inclusive science community at our University?
Include a visible mission/vision statement or other commitment to equality and diversity within the organization.
Have a specific protocol for the reporting of, and responding to, discrimination and harassment within the society.
Be explicit about support for women (and other minority groups).
Potvin et al. 2018