Women make up about 50% of medical school classes, yet they lag behind men in faculty positions at research institutions -- an issue that needs to be addressed if society is going to take full advantage of half the talent pool, said Dr. Kim Bottomly, explaining the need for the Women Faculty Forum (WFF) at a recent Medical School Council meeting.
Bottomly, professor of immunobiology, dermatology and molecular, cellular and developmental biology, was part of a group of female researchers and faculty members from all disciplines at Yale who were instrumental in forming the Women Faculty Forum to address the issues female professionals face in the workplace.
The WFF emerged during Yale's Tercentennial year to highlight the presence of women at the University and the accomplishments of Yale alumnae. With the support of President Richard C. Levin and Provost Susan Hockfield, the group has been maintained and is flourishing.
The WFF now has a steering committee, a 30-person council that guides the agenda of the organization and more than 300 faculty, administrator, alumni/ae and student members across the University. Its goals are to promote scholarship on gender and scholarship by and about women across all schools of the University; to foster gender equity throughout the University; and to promote networking on these issues among faculty, students, administration and alumnae.
One important focus of the WFF has been on women in science and medicine. "The model of a successful candidate for tenure is based on a man who has a wife at home who doesn't work. With this male head of household model in place, men have an advantage in the competition for highly prized tenure positions," said Bottomly.
WFF member Elizabeth Dillon, who also spoke at the meeting, recalled her efforts to juggle family responsibilities with her academic career. She and her husband both worked and had two young children in costly day care programs.
"At a time when I needed to dedicate my time to work, I had to take on more outside consulting jobs to help with day care costs," said Dillon, associate professor of English and American studies.
Dillon said the WFF is addressing the need for subsidized day care, extended hours, back-up childcare, more day care slots and a new childcare center. "We're also examining how we might change the tenure clock so it is more amenable to women's biological clocks," she noted.
In the current workplace culture, which places a premium on long hours, family life is expected to stay in the closet, according to Dillon. "Work and family issues have to come out of the closet and the workplace has to accommodate the fact that people have real lives, whether caring for sick relatives or children."
Dillon called upon Yale and other institutions to take a fresh look at the problem. "It's important for research institutions to lead the way in tackling these issues because you can't ignore 50% of the talent pool," she said.
Membership in the WFF is free and open to everyone in the Yale community. The program has undertaken a number of projects. It maintains an online database on current research by Yale faculty and graduate students related to women, gender and sexuality. The WFF also compiled a report on "The Effects of Gender on Yale University: A Snapshot, 2002," and sponsors conferences, seminars, workshops and informal discussions. The WFF was also a sponsor of the recent Marie Curie Nobel Centennial Symposium. (See related story.)
Bottomly, Dillon and many other WFF members will speak in the current seminar series, titled "Structures of Work and of Families," which examines the relationship between the joys and the demands of family life and work life, looking at how parents and other family members negotiate between the two. Sessions began on Nov. 12 and will continue on Dec. 4, Jan. 15 and 29, and April 1 from 6 to 9 p.m.
For more information, visit the WFF website at www.yale.edu/wff or contact Carla Eastis at (203) 432-5300 or Rachel Thomas at (203) 432-8847.
-- By Karen Peart
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