The speaker, Franciska de Jong, UT professor in the Centre for Telematics and Information Technology, pointed out that about one-third of AIO's at the UT are female and they form the single largest scientific body. In the same breath, she questioned the motivation of this `exceptional group' in being interested in this network, as most of them would leave the Netherlands after their promotion to pursue careers elsewhere. `A career for women is different from a career for men,' she observed perceptively. Glass ceilings are for real and they thwart the efforts of women attempting to make inroads into hitherto accepted male bastions. De Jong, however, assured her listeners that these difficulties are not insurmountable. After all, this is precisely `why women wear high heels: so as to break these glass barriers.'
Riet Peters, UT Professor of Physics, opened the subsequent discussion with the AIO's by soliciting their views on whether every female PhD student ought to have a mentor. Svetlana Khapova, BBT, said, `To some extent, my supervisor (Celeste Wilderom) does play this role. But she is also a woman and maybe that is why it is easier. Frankly, I wonder how this idea would work? Would all professors be interested?' On problems they may have faced on account of their gender, Marija Bockarova, BBT, found it a difficult question to answer: `I am also a foreigner, so there are problems in trying to integrate anyway.'
Peters recalls an experience of a foreign colleague who had worked in many countries but became aware of gender-related attitudinal biases only upon visiting the Netherlands, which drew gasps of surprises from everyone present. Peters was not aware of the number of Dutch women in Physics until she saw hundreds of them at a conference. `However, it turned out that most of them were not Dutch,' she said. De Jong reaffirmed this, citing the under-representation of Dutch women in Physical Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science. Maybe some faculties have an image problem? Another participant corroborated this theory by sharing the reaction of her female friends to her decision to pursue Mechanical Studies: `Isn't that field typically for men?' they had asked.
On the tough act of balancing a career and family obligations Khavpova and Bockarova believe that many men feel threatened by their equally ambitious spouses, causing some women to keep a low profile. `If women marry young and have children, they get slow-tracked on their career. On the other hand, if they concentrate on their career, it becomes increasingly difficult to find the right companion later on,' they opined.
De Jong introduced another area that has tremendous scope for improvement: women's ability to socialize. `Women are poor socializers. They are comfortable with people at a similar level, but beyond that there is a sense of discomfiture. It is very important to socialize not with the intention of ingratiating oneself, but to make others feel at ease with one.' And she reiterated the importance of being part of network so as to feel stimulated from one's peers' experiences and realize one's own potential.
The conversation flowed smoothly through the delicious lunch at the Faculty Club. In the end, although more questions were raised than answered, the fact that women can shatter the ceiling using knowledge as a powerful weapon was brought home to one and all.
