March 08, 2019
Of the 900 or so consultant neurologists in the UK, only about 250 are Women. The situation in research is similar, with women holding less than a third of all senior positions
Lets Use IWD To Talk About The Problematic Balance Of Women In Science
Today marks International Women’s Day. With a theme of #balanceforbetter, it prompts important conversations about the major gender inequalities that exist across the world.
I am a researcher working in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS). Over the past 20 years MS research has led to major advances in treatment development. No other neurological condition has made such great strides and we’re on the cusp of major breakthroughs. It’s a fascinating and incredibly rewarding field to work in.
Counter to this amazing progress, however, science remains in the grip of gender inequality. Although things have improved since Rosalind Franklin was downgraded for her role in the discovery of DNA, there are still disparities in how genders are treated and perceived.
When you try to imagine a scientist or a neurologist, most of us think of an older male. This is not entirely unreasonable. Of the 900 or so consultant neurologists in the UK, only about 250 are women. The situation in research is similar, with women holding less than a third of all senior positions. This imbalance is even more pronounced in some countries.
Conferences can reflect this imbalance, with the same (male) faces appearing every year. A problematic approach – asking the same people to speak every time is hardly the best route to new ideas.
The speaker and workshop list for the UK MS Society’s MS Frontiers is refreshing, and hopefully a sign of things to come. It features an equal number of male and female invited speakers and workshop presenters. Making a conscious effort to invite new researchers, and researchers with a more diverse range of experiences, will hopefully result in a more innovative conference overall.
There are many reasons we don’t have enough senior women in science, but it isn’t to do with biology – an equal number of men and women train as neurologists and scientists. We know more women have career breaks to take care of family. But (much more problematically) they can also feel excluded in more subtle ways. If you can’t see women speaking at conferences, running their own labs, or leading investigations, it can be hard to understand how and where you fit in.
Increasing the number of women who stay in research and train as MS specialists is more important than ever. Over 100,000 people in the UK have MS and we desperately need more MS neurologists. People with MS can wait months, or even years, for a neurology appointment.
International women in MS (iWiMS) is a new initiative aimed at promoting gender equity and diversity in MS clinics and in research. The idea has grown from an informal meeting a year ago into a community with over 200 members in 25 countries. iWiMS aims to redress gender imbalance in our field through positive, proactive initiatives such as working with scientific organisations to increase the number of women and other gender minorities on conference panels, providing travel grants for women with small children to help them attend conferences, leadership training, and – perhaps most excitingly – encouraging new research collaborations between members. Our hope is that it will create links between junior and senior women, transgender and intersex individuals working in MS, giving them support and accessible role models. We have already created over 60 mentorship pairs and 30 peer sponsorship groups. And we believe that, by developing this community that inspires women and gender minorities early in their career, we can make a vital difference.
We are excited by the enthusiasm shown by our members, encourage others to join our movement, and hope we can encourage more women, transgender and intersex people to be leaders in their field.
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.