With a background in Mathematical Physics and String Theory, Dijkgraaf's presence at the seminar may not have been immediately obvious. But as a promoter of the ‘hard’ sciences and, since his presidency at the Dutch Academy of Sciences, Dijkgraaf is well aware of the importance of an increase in diversity. ‘Greater diversity helps the quality of our educational system,' he emphasized throughout his lecture, while also proposing concrete measures to boost the number of women in high academic positions. While focusing on the Dutch situation, Dijkgraaf, who also spent substantial time at Harvard and Princeton Universities, frequently refers to the context and models of other countries’ to give the issue a broader perspective.
foto: Gijs van Ouwerkerk
Dijkgraaf first said that he speaks with caution, as diversity is a 'grand topic' with many dimensions, of which gender is just one. After sharing several anecdotes on typical stereotypes and constraints surrounding female scientists – one involving a visiting female American professor who was nearly left at the airport, because the person collecting her was looking for a man - Dijkgraaf highlighted the long history of discrimination against female scientists: ‘Just because she was a woman, double Nobel Prize winner “Lady of Radiation” Marie Curie was refused entry into the French Academy of Sciences.’
Nowadays, it seems important that cuts at universities and temporary ‘frozen’ hiring procedures do not hamper the influx of female academics. For one thing, universities need a ‘gender balance’ to maintain sufficient contact with, and gain more support from, ‘the outside world.’ This holds particularly true for the Netherlands, where politicians, businessmen and other ‘outsiders’ view the importance of universities ‘as relatively low.’ Universities view and present themselves as places for critical debate, aiming to improve and ‘go beyond barriers,’ including mapping and theorizing gender issues. Continued failure to address gender imbalances can erode their credibility said Dijkgraaf.
In turn, global capacity building around major actual issues also requires diversity. ‘Academics are not just surrounded by problems, but also by solutions,’ said Dijkgraaf, who is now based at the University of Amsterdam. ‘To spot these, a diversified workforce that can relate to various global occurrences is essential.’
So how can Dutch universities achieve more gender diversity? Dijkgraaf readily admits that in spite of the increased focus on diversity by policy-makers and funding agencies, the situation remains problematic. Even his own Academy of Sciences is still very much ‘a male bastion.’ In order to stop the ‘leaking pipeline,’ Dijkgraaf recommends diversity to be organizationally ingrained– from establishing diversity committees to ‘reviewing everything on the impact of diversity.’
Adding to these thoughts, he finds transparent admission procedures are crucial, along with a readiness to address and reflect on gender issues at the highest organizational levels. ‘It is not always obvious that leading figures like Deans and Chairs need serious convincing first,’ said Dijkgraaf.
Finally, he thinks having concrete incentives is important by offering as a suggestion to have special tenure tracks, scholarships and awards. The creation of a Dutch Academy of Sciences’ prize, solely for women, is a good example, as is the establishment of a ‘junior’ Dutch Academy of Sciences, an idea copied from Germany, where the focus is on scientists who are just beginning their academic career already has many female members. On the whole, Dijkgraaf admitted the solutions are almost ‘boring,’ in the sense they are so ‘technical-organizational.’ But then and again, ‘concrete problems demand concrete solutions.’
Marloes van Amerom
