Beyond traditional scientific training: The importance of community and empowerment for women in ecology and evolutionary biology
While the biological sciences have achieved gender parity in the undergraduate and graduate career stages, this is not the case at the faculty level. The WEBS (Women Evolving the Biological Sciences) symposia go beyond traditional scientific training and professional development to address factors c...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2016-10-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fevo.2016.00119/full |
| _version_ | 1818254961608228864 |
|---|---|
| author | M. Claire Horner-Devine Joyce W Yen Priti N Mody-Pan Cara Margherio Samantha Forde |
| author_facet | M. Claire Horner-Devine Joyce W Yen Priti N Mody-Pan Cara Margherio Samantha Forde |
| author_sort | M. Claire Horner-Devine |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | While the biological sciences have achieved gender parity in the undergraduate and graduate career stages, this is not the case at the faculty level. The WEBS (Women Evolving the Biological Sciences) symposia go beyond traditional scientific training and professional development to address factors critical to women’s persistence in faculty careers: community and empowerment. Through a series of panel discussions, personal reflections and skills workshops, WEBS creates a community-based professional development experience and a space for participants to grapple with central issues affecting their scientific careers. Longitudinal qualitative survey data suggest that WEBS bolsters the participants’ confidence and empowerment, in addition to providing concrete skills for addressing a range of issues necessary to navigating scientific careers, leading to increased career satisfaction and career self-efficacy (i.e., the belief in one’s capacity to pursue their chosen career). These results highlight the importance and need for programs and opportunities for women in STEM that go beyond training in scientific skills and traditional professional development to include those that create a sense of community and empowerment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T17:04:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c52c6ec876ca459d8586986d70370770 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T17:04:17Z |
| publishDate | 2016-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-c52c6ec876ca459d8586986d703707702022-12-22T00:18:03ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2016-10-01410.3389/fevo.2016.00119222079Beyond traditional scientific training: The importance of community and empowerment for women in ecology and evolutionary biologyM. Claire Horner-Devine0Joyce W Yen1Priti N Mody-Pan2Cara Margherio3Samantha Forde4University of WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonThrive WashingtonUniversity of WashingtonEcology and Evolutionary Biology DepartmentWhile the biological sciences have achieved gender parity in the undergraduate and graduate career stages, this is not the case at the faculty level. The WEBS (Women Evolving the Biological Sciences) symposia go beyond traditional scientific training and professional development to address factors critical to women’s persistence in faculty careers: community and empowerment. Through a series of panel discussions, personal reflections and skills workshops, WEBS creates a community-based professional development experience and a space for participants to grapple with central issues affecting their scientific careers. Longitudinal qualitative survey data suggest that WEBS bolsters the participants’ confidence and empowerment, in addition to providing concrete skills for addressing a range of issues necessary to navigating scientific careers, leading to increased career satisfaction and career self-efficacy (i.e., the belief in one’s capacity to pursue their chosen career). These results highlight the importance and need for programs and opportunities for women in STEM that go beyond training in scientific skills and traditional professional development to include those that create a sense of community and empowerment.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fevo.2016.00119/fullPersistenceCommunityself-efficacyinterventionProfessional Developmentempowerment |
| spellingShingle | M. Claire Horner-Devine Joyce W Yen Priti N Mody-Pan Cara Margherio Samantha Forde Beyond traditional scientific training: The importance of community and empowerment for women in ecology and evolutionary biology Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution Persistence Community self-efficacy intervention Professional Development empowerment |
| title | Beyond traditional scientific training: The importance of community and empowerment for women in ecology and evolutionary biology |
| title_full | Beyond traditional scientific training: The importance of community and empowerment for women in ecology and evolutionary biology |
| title_fullStr | Beyond traditional scientific training: The importance of community and empowerment for women in ecology and evolutionary biology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beyond traditional scientific training: The importance of community and empowerment for women in ecology and evolutionary biology |
| title_short | Beyond traditional scientific training: The importance of community and empowerment for women in ecology and evolutionary biology |
| title_sort | beyond traditional scientific training the importance of community and empowerment for women in ecology and evolutionary biology |
| topic | Persistence Community self-efficacy intervention Professional Development empowerment |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fevo.2016.00119/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mclairehornerdevine beyondtraditionalscientifictrainingtheimportanceofcommunityandempowermentforwomeninecologyandevolutionarybiology AT joycewyen beyondtraditionalscientifictrainingtheimportanceofcommunityandempowermentforwomeninecologyandevolutionarybiology AT pritinmodypan beyondtraditionalscientifictrainingtheimportanceofcommunityandempowermentforwomeninecologyandevolutionarybiology AT caramargherio beyondtraditionalscientifictrainingtheimportanceofcommunityandempowermentforwomeninecologyandevolutionarybiology AT samanthaforde beyondtraditionalscientifictrainingtheimportanceofcommunityandempowermentforwomeninecologyandevolutionarybiology |