Category Archives: reference letter

Systematic Errors of Judgement

Posted on 7 April 2013 by Athene Donald

To tie in with International Women’s Day, last month Nature ran a series of articles about the issues still facing women in science and also a podcast with Uta Frith and myself debating some of the issues. The interviewer, Charlotte … Continue reading →

Posted in gender stereotypes, Matilda effect, reference letter, Science Culture, Unconscious bias, Women in science | Comments Off on Systematic Errors of Judgement

Saying What You Mean to Say

Posted on 10 March 2013 by Athene Donald

Some years ago I came across a psychology paper which suggested that letters of reference are subtly (or even not-so-subtly) gendered. I had never thought about it before, but it made me think much harder about the adjectives and roles … Continue reading →

Posted in Equality, gender, job applications, reference letter, Science Culture | Comments Off on Saying What You Mean to Say

Conveying the Wrong Message [1]

Posted on 12 January 2012 by Athene Donald

This article first appeared in Times Higher Education as an Opinion piece on January 12th 2012. Our academic lives are strongly influenced by those individuals who write letters of reference for us as we aim to move up the career … Continue reading →

Posted in academia, Equality, gendering, hiring, leakypipeline, reference letter | Comments Off on Conveying the Wrong Message [1]