The International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) represents biology through national academies and international scientific societies. IUBS does not have individual memberships and is organized into national ordinary members (usually academies or science councils) and scientific members (international societies in biology). The number of scientists IUBS represents is difficult to evalaute due to the diverse and institutional nature of its membership.
Gender Equality in Scientific Leadership
There is a majority of women in biology but this is not reflected in IUBS leadership positions. Women have been successfully elected to leadership positions in the past, and when women are nominated they are elected. The main issue lies in the limited number of female nominations. While the Executive Committee is mindful of gender equality, nominations for speakers or candidates are also guided by considerations such as expertise annd geographical representations. Encouraging their nominations remains necessary.
Tracking gender diversity at the General Assembly is complicated due to varying registration processes so that there is a lack of systematic data collection on gender participation. There is a need for a session on gender issues at the upcoming IUBS General Assembly.
IUBS Gender Balance Initiatives
In 2021, the Committee for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities prompted IUBS to take gender balance initiatives in the union.
In particular, conference organizers are required to provide information on gender representation in organizing/scientific committees and among invited speakers because gender balance is part of the evaluation criteria for obtaining a grant. IUBS relies on organizers to provide accurate information about gender representation, such as the percentage of women attending, but does not dwelve more deeply in the topic of gender identities : the focus is on the number of “women” without defining the term precisely. Proper reporting of women proportion by event organizers is needed ensure eligibility for future applications.
Addressing Gender Bias in Academia
Clear guidelines and documentation to address gender bias and harassment in academic and research settings, are necessary. Templates for universities and organizations could be produced, including rules for behavior and procedures for reporting issues. Organizing screenings of relevant films and discussions to raise awareness, as well as providing training for hiring committees should be encouraged.
Local initiatives should be higlighted such as a project in Chile for creating videos about female scientists !
Key takeaways for other institutions
- Encourage women nominations for awards and leadership roles.
- Highlight local initiatives such as videos improving the visibility of women scientists
- Ask the organizers to keep systematically track of the proportion of women among attendees, organizers and speakers of all your sponsored events