Life as a woman in academia is a rollercoaster, full of twists and turns and opposition.
That’s the picture painted in a new booklet being launched by St Andrews University on Monday.
Academic Women Here! On Being A Female Academic At The University Of St Andrews is billed as a candid discussion on the experiences of women in a research environment.
Contributing academics have talked openly and honestly about the highs and lows they have experienced in pursuing their careers.
It is hoped that by sharing their stories, more young women will be encouraged to take up research positions, even if they do not fit in with the typical academic story line.
Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sally Mapstone, the university’s second female principal, said: “In St Andrews, as in other UK higher education institutions, there are still fewer women the further you go up the academic tree.
“We are working to change that: through revisions to our promotions structures; through a new mentoring programme for senior women; through expansion of our childcare provision.
“But a great way to infuse change into our culture is to encourage women academics to speak for themselves.
“Reading these honest and thoughtful reflections on their career paths by a generation of women makes me proud to be at St Andrews, and the more determined to do all we can to enable women’s fulfilment of their potential here.”
The new booklet will look at working practices, the relationships women enjoy outside of work, how they care for children and elderly relatives and the balances necessary to keep everything in check.
It will try to highlight the differences between women in the field and to dismiss the idea that there is one path to success for them all.
It will also discuss how diversity has changed in academia over the course of the women’s careers, and the steps that still need to be taken.
