Why we shouldn’t blame women for gender disparity in academia: perspectives of women in zoology

Veronica Slobodian,Annelise B D’Angiolella,Shirliane De A Sousa,Karla D.A Soares,Priscila Camelier,Annie S Hsiou,Laura R Prado,Thaís B Guedes,Karla R.C Pereira,Rafaela L Falaschi,Laura C Leal,Glaucia Del-Rio,Luisa M Diele-Viegas,Eliza R Costa

doi:10.3897/zoologia.38.e61968

Abstract

The following letter, from a network of women zoologists, is a reply to the article of AlShebli et al. (2020), which suggests that female protégés reap more benefits when mentored by men and concludes that female mentors hinder the success of their female protégés and the quality of their impact. This contribution has two parts. First, we highlight the most relevant methodological flaws which, in our opinion, may have impacted the conclusions of AlShebli et al. (2020). Second, we discuss issues pertaining to women in science, bring a perspective of Women in Zoology and discuss how current diversity policies are positively changing our field.

Highlights

The following letter, from a network of women zoologists, is a reply to the article of AlShebli et al (2020), which suggests that female protégés reap more benefits when mentored by men and concludes that female mentors hinder the success of their female protégés and the quality of their impact
Their conclusion was that female mentors hinder the success of their female protégés and the quality of their impact, suggesting that female protégés reap more benefits when mentored by males instead of their -impactful female counterparts
AlShebli et al (2020) recognize that the specific social mechanisms underlying their findings were not addressed in their study. They proposed that their results indicate that diversity policies need to be reviewed, favoring an association between female protégés and male mentors. This suggestion goes against all current policies that aim for more diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), contributing to reinforce the patriarchal structure of the academic environment, which has historically constrained the career of many female researchers

Summary

What defines success in the academic field?

A list of the 100,000 most prominent scientists was recently published (Ioannidis et al 2020), based exclusively on citations. The initiative “Mulheres na Ciência BR” (Women in Science Brazil), founded by a group of zoologists, started as a social network community of women scientists in 2016 and has since grown to establish an actively-curated digital magazine (http:// www.mulheresnaciencia.com.br), where women of all fields and backgrounds showcase their voices and discuss science and gender perspectives in academia. All the above-mentioned initiatives demonstrate some of the projects that begun in recent years to bring awareness to gender inequality and discuss solutions in order to achieve a more diverse and inclusive zoology These initiatives are possible because of the increase in the number of women participating in some Brazilian Zoological societies and because these women are becoming more conscious of the role of gender bias in their careers. It reinforces the importance of women actively working as part of the scientific community

Concluding remarks

Findings

LITERATURE CITED