How can you help women to be successful as scientists?

Did you know that today, March 8th, is the ‘International Women’s day’? This day first celebrated in the USA in 1911, is now a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. See a dedicated website http://www.internationalwomensday.com/ or Wikipedia for more info.
Do you know a woman scientist? Reach out to reconnect with her! This is the #1 tip that the editors of ‘The Scientist’ suggested was effective in helping women stay in science, see some other tips at below.

While the number of women scientists is rising, the gender gap remains significant all over the world (see links below for statistics). Two main suspected causes: carrying most of the responsibility of child rearing and house chores and the scarcity of more senior women to act as role models. Yet, many women are succeeding – or even exceeding – in balancing personal life and scientific careers: Dr. Carol Greider was folding laundry when she got the call that she had received the Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine…

This suggests two relatively simple solutions we can all try to help with: at home by share house-related chores, in the work place and beyond offer equal opportunities, encourage and mentor younger women .

• Women scientists: if you think you could use some help, ask for it! You will find that there will be many willing to offer support only if they knew you needed it… “Where do I go to ask for help?”you think. Look around you for people who you would want to be like, ask about opportunties in your institution. You could also immediately indentify such people by tapping in our global My Lab Your Lab community, designed by scientists for scientists (Free membership!) Many members – men and women – have already expressed their willingness to coach or to mentor.
• All: if you would like to help, look around you for those who could use your help and offer it!. And, consider joining a more formal program that matches mentors with protégées at your institution or a less formal network like the like-minded global community at My Lab Your Lab.

Here are also some ‘self-help’ resources and links containing interesting and useful information about and for women scientists – please suggest additional ones!

Links about/for women scientists
About/for women scientists
Background/educational materials
• Women in science, “Wikipedia”
• “Notable Female Scientists” Facts/biographies
• “4000 Years of Women in Science” The U of Alabama
• Women Are Scientists, set of instructional videos from NSF
• Women in Science, on flicr

Dedicated organizations
• AWIS The Association for Women in Science website
• European Platform of Women Scientists website
• IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE), international professional organization for women engineers and scientists •
SWE the Society of Women Engineers website
• Directory of Networks of Women Scientists 2003 (Europe) with contact information
• L’Oréal-UNESCO’s For Women in Science programme (funding)

Statistics
• EUR (2009) She figures 2009: Statistics and Indicators on Gender Equality in Science . EUR 23856 EN EUR 23856 EN (160 p.)
• Leadley J (2009) Women in US academic medicine: Statistics and Benchmarking Report 2008-2009. (34 p.)
• AWIS home page with links to various data sets
• ‘The Scientist’ salary survey by gender and ethnicity

Commentaries, articles
The laboratory glass ceiling: “Just over one-third of US university faculty are women but this figure is much lower in EU countries and in Australia, as well as Korea (14.5%). Women also make up less than 20% of senior academic staff in the majority of EU countries. One effect of this is a scarcity of female role models among senior researchers and faculty to inspire other women to follow suit.”
Female Scientists Do More Housework Than Men: “When Carol W. Greider received a call from Stockholm last fall telling her she had won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, she wasn’t working in her lab at the Johns Hopkins University. The professor of molecular biology and genetics was at home, folding laundry.”
On the role men should play in helping women stay in science, suggestions for helping men help women scientists