We've come a long way, baby, but a ways to go.

While regaling new students about the history of the ESF Women's Caucus, and sharing that as recently as 1994, when the Caucus formed, there were only 3 tenure track faculty members in ESF academic departments (all in different departments), an International student asked me about the current numbers.  So I tallied--almost 50, and 2 chairs.

With critical mass, what improvements have we seen?

Well, over the course of this year, some of our male colleagues have walked by the Caucus coffee breaks, noticed people with whom they have needed to confer, and have joined us to do so, without relaying any surprise that until that moment, it had only been  women in the room. (It was just the opposite experience that inspired the Caucus' creation in 1994).

But casual conversations with the Professionals of Color would indicate that folks are clearly a mite startled to see that group assembled.  And just this week, different colleagues asked for input on how to deal with gendered language, and countering derision and casual sexism.  Interestingly enough, NASEM's report this summer reiterated much of what we hear from colleagues, but gave it names.  Unwanted sexual attention  (unwelcome verbal or physical sexual advances), and sexual coercion (when favorable treatment is conditioned on sexual activity) are very much on the decline, hopefully even more with so much attention on "informed consent."  Gender harassment, is the actual most common form of sexual harassment.  It is the inappropriate remakes, sexist put-downs, gender-based hostility, that aren't usually recognized by law or university rules, even though persistent gender harassment is harmful. Another interesting finding:  those far more severe types of harassment don't occur where gender harassment isn't tolerated.  

The four risk factors that increase the likelihood that women in academic sciences, engineering and medicine will be targeted with sexual harassment, historically, ESF has them all:
 "male-dominated work settings; hierarchies that concentrate power in individuals and make students, junior faculty, and others dependent on them for funding, research direction, mentorship, and career advancement; symbolic legal compliance policies and procedures that are ineffective at preventing harassment; and uninformed leadership at all levels lacking the tools, intention, and/or focus needed to undertake the key actions necessary to reduce and prevent sexual harassment.

The challenges and opportunities are significant. Preventing sexual harassment against women is critical to avoiding further loss of talent in academic sciences, engineering, and medicine, and thus to advancing the nation’s economic and social well-being and its overall public health. Making the necessary changes to prevent harassment will require diverse and visionary leadership at all levels as well as the support and participation of every member of the academic and research communities."

Join us this semester, at our networking Coffee Breaks and a Livestream of Together We Can Do Better: A National Convocation for Leaders in Academia on Preventing Sexual Harassment.