Report on the Talent to the top workshop 8 March 2010
Women at FSS want to go to the top
As a woman, how do you get a high position at the university? That was the main question at the seminar ‘Talent to the Top’, which was organized by the working group ‘Female Talented Scholars’ at the Faculty of Social Sciences on 8th March, the International Women’s Day.
In the room filled with ambitious female PhD and Master students Marieke van den Brink from the Radbound University in Nijmegen held the presentation about her research, according to which women are less often selected for the high positions. She also gave some practical tips: when you meet your boss at the coffee machine, mention that your article has just been published.
Afterwards, Mirjam Rigterink from NWO talked about the grants possibilities for women and reported that women apply for grants less often, but have the same high recognition as men.
Female professorship
The talks were followed by lively discussions about the question if the female talent can also get to the top without stimulation and encouragement. FSS-student Dionne Pierik, the member of the University Students Counsel, thought it was possible. As a woman, you have to be assessed on the basis of your qualities and you should not get a higher position only through a special female professorship.
According to her, there are better ways. For example, they should not be accessed on the basis of publications only, because women that are on the maternity leave cannot come up to this standard.
The Faculty member of the Executive Board, Marjolein Broese van Groenou noted that it is not only about the qualities. If a woman applies for a high position, she has to compete with ten men. If she is not the very best, she loses out very quickly. What’s more, she doesn’t get many chances, because professorship positions are very scarce and it is crowded there at the top. The chances might improve if there are more temporary professorship positions available.
Bitch with respect
Another member of the Executive Board, Karin Lasthuizen, gave an argument that special measures can make talents of many women more visible, such as for example Jenny Gierfeld Fellowship at FSS. In that case a female university teacher is promoted for two years to university senior lecturer. Karin Lasthuizen was one of the two winners of this fellowship this year. According to her, women have a talent for hard work and devote themselves widely, but this is not always recognized as a talent. Men are more strategic and they know when they have to raise their voice at the meeting so as to be more visible. Women think that by hard thinking only, they can get far.
Elly Konijn, university teacher at Fenna Diemer-chair, added that women have to fight and shout to get to top positions and should not be afraid to be portrayed as “a beast” in the men’s world. “If I have to be a bitch, then I would like to be a bitch on the high position!” With this remark, she won the whole room over.
Pregnancy
The questions in the room concerned pregnancy mainly and the role that getting children plays in the career. It seemed that most of the women present at the seminar were at the start of their scientific career. Hopefully, next time there are more women at higher positions and men.
The afternoon was filled with workshops, networking and polishing CVs under the guidance of Jacquelien van Stekelenburg, Elly Konijn and Eleonore Vos and Channah van Dootingh from the career centre. The networking drinks closed the day.
