STRONG IS THE NEW PRETTY- TALES OF EARLY-CAREER FEMALE GEOLOGISTS

Within recent years, we have become very quick to commend our efforts to increase the participation of women within the discipline of Geology. Despite a rocky past, we now like to stress the fundamental and growing contribution of women to Geology. But perhaps the reality is somewhat different from the vibrant recruitment posters that line our halls? This project synthesizes the experiences of several early-career female geologists from a variety of sub-disciplines, and their attempts to succeed within academia.

As academia transitions into a competitive and ruthless business, the pressures of completing a degree program and publishing new and exciting research can be extremely demanding for any young female geologist. ‘Make your mark’ or ‘stay in the game’ are just two phrases that are frequently used to describe a young female geologist’s approach to their degree programs in order to ensure a successful and established career. We will begin to highlight some of the major issues relating to the balancing act between the quality and impact-factor of scientific research and safe and responsible research.

We begin to discuss how the physical and mental demands of specific sub-disciplines can effect the involvement of female geologists. A major aim is to improve the discourse concerning the pertinence of personal safety in the working environment and field, and what measures would encourage the further participation of women within the discipline.