Category Archives: Equality

No More ‘Male by Default’ Please

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Athene Donald

Another year, another International Women’s Day. This year the strapline is ‘be bold for change’. A good motto but many will feel that boldness is dangerous in the face of opposition or incomprehension. Incomprehension is perhaps commoner than one thinks: … Continue reading →

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Building a Humane Workplace

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Athene Donald

This is the unabridged/unedited version of an article that first appeared a couple of weeks ago in Optics and Photonics. Increasingly industry has woken up to the fact that diverse teams make better decisions and, by implication, make more money. … Continue reading →

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Conspiracy or Cock-up?

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Athene Donald

Inclusivity seems something of a current buzzword. When Theresa May came to office she stated clearly in her first speech that ‘we won’t entrench the advantages of the fortunate few’. One of her immediate actions was to call for an … Continue reading →

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Cultural Values in a Time Warp

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Athene Donald

At the start of the year I wrote about my frustrations with the slow pace of change, specifically with regard to the situation for women in science in academia but also more broadly. This week I am forcibly reminded again … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Equality | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

New Year Frustrations

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Athene Donald

I spent some of my time off around New Year attempting to start as I mean to go on by tidying my ‘home office’. In the run-up to Christmas, as exhaustion took over and time ran out, I had increasingly … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, Women in Science | Tagged , , | 2 Comments