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Women in Science Given Boost
By Lew and Moawad - WeNews correspondents
(WOMENSENEWS)--
The National Academy of Sciences has called for broader national efforts in eliminating the barriers that women face in the sciences, especially in hiring and promotion at research universities, in a Sept. 18 report that looks at the continuing gap between men and women in science and engineering fields. Prior to the report, the National Science Foundation--the federal agency that funds research and promotes science programs--awarded Brown University a major grant to nurture women in the sciences. Brown will receive $3.3 million over five years to create an administrative shadowing program and boost leadership potential for women by establishing career development awards that create peer networks for women. There are 32 other universities that are currently implementing similar approaches through the National Science Foundation program, according to director Alice Hogan.
The report found that, in comparison to their male colleagues, female faculty members were generally paid less, experienced slower rates of promotion, were less likely to be in tenured positions, received fewer hours and held fewer leadership positions.
"Women are capable of contributing more to the nation's science and engineering research enterprise, but bias and outmoded practices governing academic success impede their progress almost every step of the way," said University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala, who is former Health and Human Services secretary and chair of the academy committee that issued the report.
More News to Cheer This Week:
* Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga is the first female candidate to join the race to elect the next secretary general of the United Nations, reported Agence France-Presse Sept. 19. Kofi Annan will step down from the post later this year, and New York-based rights group Equality Now has launched a campaign to promote a woman in his place. Also at the United Nations this week, as the international body convened, Al-Shaykha Hayya Rachel Al Khalifa, the leader of the Bahraini delegation, became the first Arab Muslim woman to open a U.N. summit.
Jeers
* The Bush administration blocked U.S. aid to the United Nations Population Fund for the fifth consecutive year, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., announced Sept. 15. The $34 million contribution to the fund had been appropriated by Congress, but was withheld by the administration because the U.N. agency provides health services in China and the administration accuses the agency of supporting abortion there. According to Rep. Maloney, the cumulative amount of money withheld since 2001 could have helped prevent up to 10 million unwanted pregnancies, 4 million induced abortions and 23,500 maternal deaths, as well as 385,000 infant and child deaths.
* HIV-AIDS is the biggest killer of new mothers in South Africa, Reuters reported Sept. 20. A maternal mortality study released by the national health department showed that AIDS caused 20.1 percent of the 3,406 deaths of pregnant women between 2002 and 2004. A lack of transportation and education as well as negligent health care workers were cited as contributing factors.
* After a year of tracking bylines in five major U.S. magazines--the Atlantic, Harper's, the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker and Vanity Fair--Glamour editor Ruth Davis Konigsberg's tally shows a 3-to-1 ratio between men and women authoring articles. Of 1,446 articles counted, only 447 were written by women.
Irene Lew is the editorial intern at Women's eNews. Nouhad Moawad is the Arabic site intern and Allison Stevens is Washington bureau chief.
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