Welcome to the VOICES COST Action CA20137
VOICES is a COST Action that aims to increase the visibility of inequalities faced by Young Researchers and Innovators (YRIs) from a gender perspective, and to promote a sustainable dialogue between YRIs and stakeholders in the research ecosystem at the systemic level (European & national policy-makers) and at the institutional level (senior researchers, academic managers) by creating a community of gender equality practitioners composed of various stakeholders (YRIs, independent researchers, academic managers, organizations) across Europe.
Over the last decades, European higher education and research systems have been characterized by deep changes. Those processes tend to exacerbate and create new forms of gendered inequalities for YRIs, first and foremost women. Those inequalities are also reinforced by disparities within academia linked to other social determinants, such as origin, socioeconomic status, sexuality, or ability.
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Focus Areas
The VOICES challenges will be addressed through seven Working Groups featuring four thematic Working Groups (WG1 to WG4) and two cross-cutting WGs (WG5 to WG6) addressing transversal topics.
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The VOICES COST Action and its activities will therefore pay attention to the multiple dimensions of careers and non-linear career paths of YRIs with an intersectional perspective. VOICES has among its outcomes: training schools for YRIs, scientific publications by YRIs, recommendations & guidelines for academics and policy-makers.
Our Voices
In my experience, I have feel gender inequality in the academic environment in the reputation that male professors have above us, their partners. There is still that stigma that men have more technical and advanced knowledge. On a day-to-day basis there are students who go to their male teachers to consult their doubts and that question what their female teachers say.
In a meeting, I was named surrogate representative of the research commision. After that a colleage said to me bluntly in front of all people “Don’t you start weeping now like a little girl or protest as you were in one of your days”.
This is just one of many situations I’ve had to live.
One of my first days as University teacher, I had to have a confrontation with an older colleague, who started to approach me as “pretty” instead of my name or in a more respectful way.
Because of my migrant condition, add to my work in a masculine environment, I suffered several discriminations receiving experiments and scholarships money from my department.
I had to talk to HR.
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