!Capturing!gendered!career!paths!! of!ERC!grantees!and!applicants

Capturing!gendered!career!paths!!
of!ERC!grantees!and!applicants:!
Promo8ng!sustainable!excellence!in!research!careers!
!
!
Claartje!Vinkenburg!(PI)!,!VU,[email protected]!!
Channah!Herschberg,!RU!
Sara!Connolly,!UEA!!
Stefan!Fuchs,!IAB!
!
ERCAREER!Funded!by:!ERCLSupportL2012L1!(317442)!
!
Gender!Summit!2014!
! !
ERCAREER!–!background!
•  Context:!!!
–  “Scien8fic!excellence!is!the!sole!criterion!on!the!basis!of!which!European!
Research!Council!(ERC)!fron8er!research!grants!are!awarded.!The!ERC's!peer!
review!evalua8on!process!has!been!carefully!designed!to!iden8fy!scien8fic!
excellence!irrespec8ve!of!the!gender,!age,!na8onality!or!ins8tu8on!of!the!
Principal!Inves8gator!and!other!poten8al!biases…”!
•  Sustainable!excellence?!
–  Persistent!gender!inequali8es!in!funding!success;!
–  Career!systems!put!in!place!in!most!scien8fic!ins8tu8ons!to!promote!excellence!
may!no!longer!guarantee!op8mal!outcomes!under!changing!demographic!
condi8ons!(Vinkenburg!et!al.,!2014);!!
•  Allowing!unconven8onal!careers!is!one!of!the!ways!in!which!the!
ERC!deals!with!these!issues:!
–  “…!and!to!take!career!breaks!as!well!as!unconven8onal!research!career!paths!
into!account.”!(Guide!for!applicants,!ERC).!!
2!
ERCAREER!context!!
(from!Gender!sta8s8cs!10/2013)!
3!
ERCAREER!project!descrip8on!!
• 
• 
• 
• 
ERCL2012LCSA:!Call!"Gender!aspects!in!career!structures!and!paths“!
ERCAREER:!“Capturing!career!paths!of!ERC!grantees!and!applicants”!(Vinkenburg!PI)!
Started!November!1,!2012,!end!date!(amended)!January!31,!2014!
Objec8ves:!
–  Mapping!the!road!to!excellence:!(unL)!conven8onal!careers!
–  Char8ng!the!ins8tu8onal!role!in!shaping!research!careers!for!those!with!care!
responsibili8es!
•  Mul8method!mul8source!study,!2012L2013:!
–  Exis8ng!archival!data!on!careers!(CVs),!survey!data,!interviews!
–  Sequence!analysis,!namely!Op8mal!Matching!Analysis!(OMA)!of!career!histories!!
•  Desirable!impact:!
–  Crea8ng!recommenda8ons!for!the!development!and!improvement!of!evidenceLbased!
policies,!procedures,!and!prac8ces!to!achieve!greater!gender!balance!among!ERC!
applicants!and!grantees
!
4!
Mapping!the!road(s)!to!excellence!
5!
Data!collec8on:!mul8method!mul8source!
Three!unique!data!collec8on!efforts:!
•  Exis8ng!CV!/!career!history!data!from!ERCEA!data!base!(n!=!427)!
–  CVs!are!interes8ng!but!incomplete!and!inconsistent!
•  Collec8ng!new!data!via!online!survey:!career!inventory!!(n!=!1085)!
–  Op8mal!Matching!Analysis:!innova8ve!approach!to!capturing!regulari8es!in!careers!
•  Collec8ng!new!data!via!interviews!(from!selected!CVs,!n!=!27)!
–  Interes8ng!rather!than!representa8ve!stories,!life!sciences!only!
•  Sample!limita8on:!(aLpriori)!consent!for!use!of!data!
!
Road!map!for!presenta8on!of!findings!today:!Three!themes!
•  Career!pajerns!(focus!on!Star8ng!Grant!popula8on)!
•  Dual!careers!
•  Care!responsibili8es,!flexibility,!and!compensa8on!for!8me!to!care!
6!
Capturing!career!pajerns:!method!
•  Respondents:!!
–  Star8ng!Grant!(StG)!‘12!applicants:!339!out!of!1588!(21,35%);!
–  Advanced!Grant!(AdG)!‘08L’12!applicants:!746!out!of!4.088!(18,25%)!!
•  Online!career!inventory!to!measure:!!
–  Posi8ons!held!aqer!PhD!or!state!if!not!working!(e.g.,!unemployed,!leave)!
–  Ins8tu8ons!(e.g.,!university,!research!ins8tute)!!
•  Relevant!measures!for!this!presenta8on:!
–  Sequences!(all!posi8on!x!ins8tu8ons!/!months),!applica8on!success,!gender!!
•  Op8mal!Matching!Analysis!(OMA)!
–  Method!to!calculate!distances!between!individual!sequences!
–  Here:!mul8channel!sequence!analysis!of!posi8on!and!ins8tu8on!sequences!
–  Grouping!of!similar!sequences!via!cluster!analysis!
7!
Career!pajerns!as!dances!
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OMA:!descrip8ve!method!to!capture!the!rhythms!of!careers!or!life!courses!
Each!pajern!reflects!recognizable!combina8ons!of!posi8onal!and!ins8tu8onal!
sequences,!different!progression!logics,!and!movements!
Within!each!pajern:!dis8nct!representa8ons!of!grantees,!domains,!men!and!women!
Waltz
OMA:!career!pajerns!and!logic!
StG"
Tango"
Foxtrot"
!"
complicated!
moves!in!
various!
seungs"
steady!
progress!in!
nonLuniversity!
research!
ins8tu8ons"
!"
1"
2"
AdG" Tango"
Foxtrot"
Viennese!
Waltz"
repeat!
early!advances! steady!
performances! in!universi8es" progress!in!
in!universi8es"
universi8es"
Jive"
!"
complicated!
moves!in!
various!
seungs"
steady!
steady!
progress!in!
progress!in!
nonLuniversity! government!
research!
research!
ins8tutes"
ins8tutes"
!"
5"
3"
4"
Slow!Waltz"
Quick!Step"
3"
4"
5"
Viennese!
Waltz"
Waltz"
steady!
steady!
progress!in!
progress!in!
universi8es! universi8es!
(not!saturated)!(saturated)!
"
"
1"
2"
9!
Overview!pajerns!StG!2012!
Posi+ons!
Ins+tu+ons!
10!
!!!!!Pajerns!3!4!and!5!for!StG!2012!(by!posi8ons)!
Slow!Waltz
!
!
Viennese!Waltz
!
!
!!
!Quick!Step!
11!
Pajerns!1!and!2!for!StG!2012!(by!ins8tu8ons)!
Tango
!
!
!
!
!Foxtrot!
12!
StG!OMA!descrip8ves!
StG!OMA!Pa2erns!5!
descrip+ves
n
%
mean!length!of!
sequences!(months)
1
Tango
complicated!moves
various!seungs
76
23,6
2
3
Foxtrot
Slow!Waltz
steady!progress repeat!performances
research!ins8tutes
universi8es
49
72
15,2
22,4
4
Quick!Step
early!advances
universi8es
42
13,0
5
Viennese!Waltz
steady!progress
universi8es
83
25,8
Total
322
100,0
65
95
89
131
101
93
characteris+cs!(%)
domain
LS
PE
SH
30,3
44,7
25,0
55,1
38,8
6,1
43,1
37,5
19,4
28,6
45,2
26,2
33,7
44,6
21,7
37,6
42,2
20,2
grant
13,2
24,5
18,1
23,8
15,7
18,0
women
44,7
51,0
36,1
26,2
37,4
39,4
13!
Partners!and!dual!careers!
All!StG!2012!
Men!
Women!
NonLGrantees!
Grantees!
Partner!(%)!
n=339!
87%!
90%!
84%!
86%!
93%!
Also!working!in!science?!
n=295!
46%!
43%!
51%!
44%!
55%!
All!AdG!
Men!
Women!
NonLGrantees!
Grantees!
90%!
91%!
84%!
89%!
93%!
51%!
48%!
65%!
52%!
50%!
Partner!(%)!
n=745!
Also!working!in!science?!
n=502!
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Dual!earners!are!the!norm,!albeit!different!varia8ons!and!degrees!of!importance!!
Dual!careers!of!scien8st!+!scien8st!(very)!prominent,!with!various!pros!and!cons!
Evidence!of!various!solu8ons!in!combining!dual!careers!and!care!(50/50,!shiqs,!etc)!
Evidence!of!various!career!priority!pajerns!(compe8ng,!synchronized,!independent)!
14!
Leaves,!career!breaks,!and!partL8me!
Any!leave!
n=339!
Parental!leave!
n=339!
Current!contract!partL8me!
n=309!
Any!leave!
n=745!
Parental!leave!
n=745!
Ever!worked!partL8me!(%)!
n=745!
All!StG!2012!
Men!
Women!
NonLGrantees!
Grantees!
34%!
25%!
47%!
35%!
29%!
22%!
11%!
40%!
22%!
22%!
6.1%!
3.7%!
10%!
7.5%!
0%!
All!AdG!
Men!
Women!
NonLGrantees!
Grantees!
46%!
41%!
70%!
46%!
48%!
45%!
40%!
69%!
45%!
48%!
12.8%!
11.2%!
19.2%!
13.5%!
10.0%!
•  Various!forms!of!(informal,!formal,!statutory)!leave!taken,!but!not!always!fullL8me;!
•  Considerable!%!of!both!men!and!women!has!worked!partL8me!at!some!point!;!
•  ERC!reviewers:!“this!applicant!is!not!really!a!starter”,!despite!mee8ng!requirements!
15!
Conven8ons!versus!reality?!!
–  Stereotype:!ideal!scien8st!“…!gives!total!priority!to!work!and!has!no!
outside!interests!and!responsibili8es”!(Bailyn,!2003)!
–  Reality:!breadwinners!replaced!by!dual!earners!with!care!responsibili8es!
•  hjp://youtu.be/7oi6CCL9pGQ?t=10s!video!by!Bright!Horizons!
–  Fiung!the!mold!of!the!ideal!scien8st!is!only!possible!with!extended!family!
and!ins8tu8onal!support!
–  “Everything!was!fine!un8l…”!a!family!member!becomes!seriously!ill!and/or!
the!support!system!breaks!down!
–  No!single!typical!career!found,!and!excellence!is!found!across!all!pajerns!!
–  But:!‘conven8onal’!careers!seems!to!be!most!rewarded!(steady!progress!
and!early!advances)!
–  Sustainable!excellence?!The!allowance!for!unconven8onal!careers!should!
be!made!more!inclusive!
16!
Recommenda8ons!!
To!the!ERC!and!other!RFOs:!
•  Op8mize!and!standardize!the!career!informa8on!sec8on!in!applica8on!form;!!
•  Improve!the!allowance!of!and!communica8on!about!unconven8onal!careers;!!
•  Choose!between!different!op8ons!for!removing!the!“spillover”!effect!from!
career!/!exemp8on!judgment!to!excellence!judgment;!!
•  Make!career!criteria!and!evalua8on!procedures!explicit;!
•  Op8mize!exemp8on!and!extension!calcula8on!and!decision!making!process;!
•  Present!the!use!of!allowance!as!opt!out!rather!than!opt!in;!!
•  Op8mize!reviewing!process!(e.g.!adopt!a!dual!career!lens);!!
•  Promote!excellence!only:!“we!truly!do!not!care!how!/!when!you!get!there”.!!
!
In!maintaining!a!dialogue!with!host!ins8tu8ons!(RPOs)!on!employer!excellence:!!!
•  Promote!dual!career!policies,!!
•  Help!adopt!compensa8on!policies!for!)me!to!care!for!applicants!and!grantees,!!
•  S8mulate!accredita8on!such!as!the!Athene!Swan!system.!!
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Thank!you!for!your!ajen8on!!
[email protected]!
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