11 February marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The day was established by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
"Although women have had the opportunity to pursue studies and science for more than 100 years, they are still a definite minority in the academy," says Professor Edyta Głowacka-Sobiech from the Faculty of Educational Studies at AMU.
A researcher from Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, adds, "According to a 2018 UNESCO report, women represent only 28.8 % of those in science worldwide. - However, these figures should be read through the prism of the percentage of women in individual countries and scientific fields and their position in the university hierarchy. In the exact sciences and the most prominent and prestigious academic positions, these proportions will be even more unfavourable for women," says Prof. Edyta Głowacka-Sobiech. Furthermore, she adds: - "The centuries-long unequal treatment of women in education and access to knowledge and the socially unjust stereotypes that have been in place persist to this day. That is why the establishment of this day is of particular significance - to draw attention to the scientific talents of women and to support them in their career development."
What difficulties might female scientists face in their career paths?
According to Prof. Edyta Głowacka-Sobiech, the poor financing of science in Poland is one of the barriers, as are social and moral obstacles, or following the stereotypes mentioned above.
"There are disproportionately fewer women in the sciences. - As the research I co-authored with my team shows, a certain pattern exists that should not be the case. It is the so-called ‘funnel policy’. At the beginning of the scientific journey, there were many young women at university. For example, in the Faculty of Physics, 70% of the students are female. Unfortunately, at the higher levels of scientific career fulfilment, there are fewer and fewer of them. With professorships, they are in single digits, and the gender gap is a chasm. Moreover, the social sciences are not necessarily dominated by women either. In the Faculty of Sociology or History, women are also a minority. On the other hand, the Faculty of Educational Studies is outstanding, with female dominance at every stage of professional life," says Professor Edyta Głowacka-Sobiech.
It is worth mentioning that at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, under the patronage/matronage of the Rector (formerly Prof Andrzej Lesicki and now Prof Bogumiła Kaniewska), the When Science is a Woman team operates, organising Women's Laboratories since 2018 and initiating and conducting research on the working situation of women in academia (http://gdynaukajestkobieta.amu.edu.pl/). The team's activities focusing on gender inequalities in the academy and the status of women in the sciences (respectively, the topics of the 2021-2023 Labs) have been meaningful.
"For me personally, topics related to the history of female scientists, primarily those associated with the University of Poznan/AMU and the memory of their achievements and themselves, are also of great importance, adds Prof. Edyta Głowacka-Sobiech. - The 2018 Laboratory and the 2024 event, naming Room XVII in the Collegium Minus after Prof Ludwika Izabela Dobrzyńska-Rybicka and unveiling a commemorative plaque dedicated to her, were devoted to this. Jointly with Prof. Iwona Chmura-Rutkowska, we have also been authors of many publications and exhibitions, the major one being Naukowczynie. Pierwsze kobiece kariery uniwersyteckie w Poznaniu’. It was the result of our cooperation with the Poznań Heritage Centre and the Śluza Gallery," recalls Professor Edyta Głowacka-Sobiech.
The AMU scientist believes that all these activities are in line with the goals of the UN General Assembly, which has established 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. - "I also hope that girls and young women will start to think that the academic space is also for them," emphasises Prof Edyta Głowacka-Sobiech.
