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Description
Gender equality in the workplace is a frequent issue. Scholarship and research are areas where discrimination against women is particularly prominent. Although women have increased opportunities to study and work in research and academia, obstacles in their professional development remain.
Womathon aims at shedding light on this phenomenon, known as the “glass ceiling phenomenon”, through the personal stories of female scholars and researchers.
The problem will be identified though a combined methodology including: 1. Research with the participation of female scholars and researchers as well as men or women involved in the selection process or professional development of staff in relevant fields and 2. storytelling workshops in three distinct circles, broken up on the basis of the research fields and professional interests of participating women (humanities, technology, natural sciences). The results of the research and the key outcomes of personal stories shall be discussed at a round table, published in a booklet and summarized in a short video.
Target audiences include two distinct groups: 1. female scholars/researchers aged 35+, namely at an age when professional development becomes a desideratum and first signs of discrimination are observed and 2. men or women heading research centers, academic departments or research departments who play a role in HR and selection processes.
Storymentor-Stories that Change the World, a new non-profit organization focusing on storytelling as a key for meaningful and empathetic communication, shall use personal stories as a medium to raise awareness of discriminations in scholarship and amplify the voices of women.
Summary of project results
Although the “glass ceiling” in Greece affects the professional life of many women from several professional fields, it is addressed as a distinct phenomenon only by a limited segment of the population. Studies that were carried out over the last twenty years indicate that women are still subject to a different treatment than men, when it comes to their professional life and professional development. Specifically, they receive lower salaries compared to men with similar qualifications, are frequently asked questions regarding their family life and have fewer opportunities for professional development.
Despite such documentations, the glass ceiling phenomenon is not well known, while many women who have experienced such bias think of such incidents as sporadic and personal cases and do not always address them. Similarly, younger women, in early stages of their professional lives, are unprepared for such conditions, which may affect their professional development.
“WOMATHON” examined the glass ceiling phenomenon using as its basic means storytelling and its techniques. A survey addressed to active female professionals in various fields documented awareness regarding the glass ceiling, indicating that actual knowledge about the problem remains insufficient to reverse it. In the subsequent storytelling workshops, delivered digitally, a total of 45 women aged 35 and above were familiarized with personal storytelling and shared with their fellow participants incidents from their personal life. Some of them recorded their stories, while during the project, which was mostly spread by word of mouth, more women desired to share their personal stories, which emerged through private storytelling sessions. A booklet with a selection of 20 personal stories was created, which was disseminated to all participants and was mailed to opinion leaders in politics, education and entrepreneurship. Similarly, a short video with excerpts of interviews was used over social media and sent to media representatives. The final presentation, an open event with live storytelling and discussions, gave a group of 70 women and a few men the opportunity to share stories and to discuss with the state potential ways of tacking this problem.