SUGGESTIONS FOR RAISING THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN THE GEOSCIENCES

In order to bring women to the levels of high leadership long enjoyed by men in the geosciences – academic, corporate, political or technical and professional subcategories - a multi-faceted, flexible and situational tailored set of strategies supported by reliable funding is required. The pervasive cultural norm of success and competence is associated with gender (and cultural) - specific masculine behavioral traits such as competitiveness and aggressiveness. To equalize the numbers of women and minorities with men simultaneous deconstruction of the current cultural norms of gender-specific behaviors must take place in the workplace, schools and society at large.

This paper will focus on three issues fundamental to long-term success of recruitment, retention and promotion of women in the geosciences:

· Systematic cultural deconstruction and re-crafting of expected gender behaviors; starting with parents and K-12 schools to reignite the curiosity and vitality into all sciences.

· Participation in or conducting of relevant research by undergraduates closely guided by a faculty member who advocates for and encourages their students.

· Link female faculty to female Master’s students as mentors to expose and assist them in maneuvering the “hidden” network of opportunities available financially and for continued education. Female mentors are vital counselors for female Doctoral candidates for reassurance to persevere during those times culturally challenging to women and assisting these women in identifying future employment and research opportunities.

Despite the overwhelming data gathered over 25 years, there has been meager movement into the upper positions of geosciences, research or engineering. Men and women think, communicate and problem-solve differently creating a synergy between diverse individuals working together to develop innovative strategies to solve the complex issues in our world today. The challenge is to unravel the persistent enigma of the underrepresentation of women and minorities in the geosciences necessitating re-evaluation of the data and assumptions in order to remove the prevailing barriers.