New website explores women’s experiences of science careers

What is the key to success for women who work in science? A new website, www.womeninscience.ox.ac.uk , launched this week, delves into the various experiences of successful women scientists at the University of Oxford. The collection of video's with 39 women at various points in their science careers tell an inspiring story of an ongoing culture shift for women working in science, where - according to those ed - discrimination is rarely experienced and the work is fun, interesting and exciting. This project will be enormously helpful to young women as they contemplate careers in science. Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford - Sue Ziebland, Professor of Medical Sociology in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, who conceived the project with the Radcliffe Department of Medicine's Chris Price, said: 'It's a very promising time to be a woman working in science at the University of Oxford, as it's becoming clear that attitudes and beliefs about women in science are changing. 'Whereas previously there was a culture of exclusion to contend with, women now tell us they experience greater autonomy in their work and there's a great deal of University-wide and departmental support available to women to support their career progression. Indeed, very few of the women we spoke to had been aware of any discrimination at Oxford. 'We found that many women feel that working in science is hugely rewarding, though it is evident that women had to work incredibly hard to succeed.