Supramolecular community calls in support for gender equity

We can all think of instances where members of the scientific community have been called out on inappropriate behaviour or language. This act of calling out is a direct challenge to another. As such, it can be an intimidating thing to do, as standing up to someone senior to you and telling them that what they are doing is not okay can be frightening and requires a lot of emotional labour. Additionally, there may be misperceived or unintended consequences to your career.

The converse is that being called out can feel threatening. Particularly if you do not understand the transgression you have been accused of, or were doing your best to be supportive of equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) issues but find your actions have provoked a backlash. Fear of a reaction might inhibit someone from even trying to get involved in EDI work. Additionally, responses to being called out are quite often defensive, and can result in behaviour, arguments or actions that become even more hurtful to those who are doing the calling out.

However, there is still a need to raise EDI issues, including those around gender, though this must always be considered intersectionally. Although things have come a long way since 1988 when Traweek described the laboratory as ‘a man’s world’, the chemical sciences have a particular issue with the retention and progression of women. In 2018, the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Diversity Landscape of the Chemical Sciences report suggested that the rate of change then seen would never result in gender parity – and this was before the coronavirus pandemic, which has raised concerns that lockdown has disproportionately impacted the careers of women. If the positions of power within science are predominantly white and male, this ‘sends a message to our undergraduate and graduate students, half of whom are female.’ Further, this lack of diversity among scientific leaders ‘may allow unintentional, undetected flaws to bias… research.’