Women much less likely to ask questions in academic seminars than men – ScienceDaily

The bias, identified in an article published today in PLOS ONEis considered particularly important because departmental seminars are so frequent and young academics are more likely to experiment with them before other types of scientific events. They also appear at an early stage of career when people make important decisions about their future.

"Our finding that women ask far fewer questions than men means that young researchers encounter fewer female role models in their field," warns lead author Alecia Carter.

In addition to observational data, Carter and his co-authors relied on the responses of more than 600 scholars, ranging from graduates to faculty members (303 women and 206 men) from 28 different fields of study in 20 country.

These people reported their presence and activity as questions asked at seminars, their perceptions of the behavior of questions asked by others and their beliefs about why they and others do and do not ask questions.

The survey revealed a general awareness, especially among women, that men ask more questions than women. A high proportion of men and women surveyed said they did not ask questions when they had one. But men and women differ in the importance of different reasons for this.

Crucially, women felt that "internal" factors such as "not feeling smart enough", "could not work hard", "were afraid they misunderstood the content" and "the speaker was too prominent / intimidating". important that men have done.

"But our seminar observation data shows that women are no less likely to ask questions when conditions are favorable," says Dieter Lukas, a postdoctoral researcher in Cambridge when collecting data.

The researchers found that women were more likely to speak, for example, when more questions were asked. When 15 questions were asked in total, compared to the median of 6, the proportion of questions asked by women increased by 7.6%.

But when the first question of a seminar was put by a man, the proportion of subsequent questions asked by women dropped by 6% compared to the question asked by a woman. The researchers suggest that this could be an example of activating gender stereotypes, in which a male senior issue sets the tone for the rest of the session, which deters women from participating.

"Although asking people to raise their hand may seem fair, it may inadvertently lead to fewer women asking questions because they may need more time to formulate questions and work hard," said Alyssa Croft. psychologist at the University of Arizona.

The researchers were initially surprised to discover that women posed proportionally more questions from male speakers and that men asked proportionally more female speakers.

"This may be because women are less intimidated by women than women, or women may avoid challenging a woman, but they may be less concerned by a man," Gillian said. Sandstrom, a psychologist. at the University of Essex.

In the same order of ideas, the survey data revealed that twice as many men (33%) as women (16%) were motivated to ask a question because they felt they had discovered an error.

Women were also more likely to ask questions when the speaker was from their own ministry, suggesting that familiarity with the speaker might make the issue less daunting. The study interprets this as a demonstration of the least confidence reported by members of the female audience.

Welcoming the research, Professor Dame Athene Donald, professor of experimental physics at the University of Cambridge and master of Churchill College, Cambridge, said:

"asking questions at the end of the talks is one of the activities that (still) make me the most nervous … Whatever one may think when meeting me to assert my attitude, it would seem that I too & # 39; ;.

"This problem can only be solved by lasting changes in the academic culture that break gender stereotypes and provide an inclusive environment," says Alecia Carter.

Researchers agree that this will take time, but make four key recommendations to improve the situation in departmental seminars:

• Whenever possible, seminar organizers should avoid limiting the time available for questions. Alternatively, moderators should strive to keep each question and answer brief to allow more questions to be asked.
• Moderators should give priority to a women-only issue, be trained to "see the whole room" and maintain as much balance as possible between gender and the seniority of people asking questions.
• Seminar organizers are invited not to neglect to invite internal stakeholders.
• Organizers should consider taking a short break between the conference and the question period to give participants more time to formulate a question and try on a colleague.

"Although we have developed these recommendations with the goal of increasing the visibility of women, they are likely to benefit everyone, including other under-represented groups in the academic world," M said. Carter.

"It's about removing the barriers that prevent anyone from speaking and being visible."