January 2011: CSWA Town Hall
Men can help women succeed in astronomy. Here are some suggestions. More details are to be found in Joan Schmelz's presentation at the link below.
- If a woman makes a good point during a discussion, acknowledge it!
- Men should accept that diversity on scientific staff and in speaker lists at meetings is a key contribution to scientific excellence. It is NOT social engineering;
- Men should be repulsed by a male/female ratio that is >> 2 in any astronomical organization or meeting, and then take action to fix it and prevent it from happening in future;
- Make sure family friendly policies are in place in your institution, even if you are single and have no children;
- Become aware of your own biases. The biggest obstacle to overcoming bias is to be unaware that bias exists!
An introduction by CSWA Chair Joan T. Schmelz was followed by discussion and questions from the audience.