Conversation boosts women’s participation at scientific meetings

Not only are women underrepresented at scientific meetings, they participate less than men in question-and-answer sessions, self-limiting their involvement and participation. But a public discussion of the problem helps. Recently, some prominent men in science have publicly declared they wouldn't attend scientific meetings that don't adequately represent women, but a new study suggests the problem isn't just representation - women also don't participate at the same level as men, even when they are well represented. A Stanford-led study reports that women at scientific meetings asked questions at a level that fell well below their level of representation, but their questions picked up once the observation was pointed out. (Image credit: Getty Images) A Stanford-led study published June 27 in the American Journal of Human Genetics reports that women asked questions at a level that fell well below their level of representation at two national genetics meetings over the course of four years. But when the two graduate students who led the study drew attention to the problem during one of the meetings - a move that generated intense conversation among attendees - questions from women picked up. "I think a lot of the time we say the goal is to get representation across diversity," said Natalie Telis, who was a Stanford graduate student when she carried out the work.