Social Lives
Author: Dr Rebecca Maguire, Department of Psychology, Maynooth University
International Women’s Day is a great time to celebrate the numerous achievements of women across the world. However, it is also an important time to reflect on the struggles and inequalities that persist for many. Unfortunately, despite significant strides towards gender* equality in recent years, as a group, women remain disadvantaged in the world of work relative to their male counterparts. This includes the oft-cited gender pay gap – the difference in median earnings between men and women – that persists in many sectors. Academia is no exception to this, with a recent report from the HEA showing that, in 2020, men made up 73% of Professors in Ireland, compared to women who made up just 27%. This is despite the fact that women make up a greater proportion of early career researchers and lecturers in academia – an effect often referred to as the “leaky pipeline”.
Thankfully, there have been many initiatives developed to support gender equality in academia in recent years. The most notable of these is the Athena Swan Charter, a framework designed to encourage and promote gender equality and inclusivity in higher education settings. Maynooth University is one institution that has embraced Athena Swan, with the university as a whole, along with many individual departments, now holding awards in recognition of their commitment to gender equality. It is important to emphasise that these awards are not merely tokenistic achievements; I can say from personal experience that achieving an Athena Swan award requires a lot of work and commitment from all involved. Admittedly, I only became fully aware of this when I was given the opportunity to chair our own Athena Swan committee in the Department of Psychology in 2019. In preparing our application, we had to scrutinise and reflect on almost every aspect of our departmental practices, culture and (a lot of) data as they related to gender equality and inclusivity. On this basis, we then had to develop an extensive action plan designed to tackle any potential inequalities that may exist.
However, looking back to 2019, as we enthusiastically embarked on our own Athena Swan journey, none of us could have predicted what 2020 was to bring. About half-way through preparing our application, Covid-19 struck. For many, this brought gender equality into sharp focus. The introduction of restrictions such as school closures required many parents, particularly mothers, to balance responsibilities of work and childcare, coupled with concerns relating to Covid-19 itself. It is now well-documented that women were more at risk of economic consequences from the pandemic, with research from colleagues in Maynooth suggesting how the various challenges faced by working mothers in Ireland have likely implications for their career advancement.
In the world of academia, few researchers were unaffected by Covid-19; however, a sizeable body of work has indicated that these effects were not equally felt by all. One study showed how, in addition to those working in basic science fields, women, particularly those with young children, experienced a significant decline in the time they could dedicate to research during the early stages of the pandemic. Similarly, in some of our own work, we found that, while both male and female researchers experienced barriers to research during Covid-19, the nature of these barriers differed by gender. Specifically, women were more likely than men to cite time or competing demands, such as administrative or childcare responsibilities, as barriers to research. This indicates the enhanced struggles that female researchers face in juggling diverse commitments alongside their academic responsibilities.
The asymmetrical gendered effects of the pandemic can be more objectively documented by examining research outputs during this time. For example, one recent analysis showed how the rate of female first author publications significantly reduced relative to males between 2020-2021, despite near gender parity in first authorship prior to this. Others have highlighted how women may have fallen behind in other ways, such as volume of grant applications submitted during the pandemic. This suggests that Covid-19 has led to a step backwards for gender equality in academia, at least in the short term; only time will tell what the longer-term implications of this may be.
As we submitted our own Athena Swan submission in early 2021, we were conscious to anticipate the possible implications of Covid-19 on our department. We did not anticipate however that, almost a year later, we would still be emerging from the pandemic. It is therefore vital that higher education institutions and funders continue to consider how to mitigate any potential gender inequalities that may emerge over the coming years. This also includes a recognition of how gender may intersect with other disadvantaged groups, including, for example, race, ethnicity, and disability. For the latter group in particular, we must appreciate that the pandemic is far from over, especially for those who are immunocompromised or who remain at a higher risk of Covid-19. The extent to which inequalities may persist for these groups remains to be seen and should be closely monitored, with researchers in both the Department of Psychology at the Assisting Living and Learning (ALL) Institute keen to explore these issues further.
However, it should be acknowledged that, despite the challenges that Covid-19 has presented, especially for women, the pandemic has also given rise to new opportunities in the world of work. Notably, the widespread adoption of remote or flexible working has been well-received by many. It is important that such opportunities are embraced as part of a suite of measures designed to reduce inequalities that may exist. Such efforts would be worth celebrating on International Women’s Day.
* Author’s note: Gender is typically reported as a binary construct (i.e., male vs. female), however it is recognised that this is not an inclusive conceptualisation of all the gender identities that exist. Unfortunately, data is lacking on how other genders may be advantaged/disadvantaged relative to these majority groups. This is something that also clearly needs to be addressed in further research and analysis.