Gender

Sex and gender

The terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are often used interchangeably, but it is important to recognise the difference between the two, as they are not the same. Sex is determined and recorded at birth, and is based on sex characteristics (physical, physiological and genetic). Gender is a social construct that refers to the behaviours and attributes associated with masculinity and femininity. This means that whilst for many people their sex and gender will be the same, for some it won’t. To understand more about how people’s sex and gender can vary, you can watch this short video.

Gender identity refers to an individual’s internal sense of gender. This can be man, woman, transgender, cisgender, non-binary, genderqueer/gender fluid or a-gendered.

The Equality Act

Sex is one of nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act. Sex discrimination occurs when you are treated differently because of your sex. Under the Equality Act 2010, sex can mean either male or female, or a group of people like men or boys, women or girls. UK law says you must not be discriminated against because:

• you are (or are not) a particular sex,
• someone thinks you are the opposite sex (this is known as discrimination by perception),
• you are connected to someone of a particular sex (this is known as discrimination by association).

Gender bias and stereotyping

Biases (unconscious or otherwise) and gender stereotyping can differentially impact how people of all genders are perceived and evaluated. This has real-life implications on the experiences of both men and women in academia.

Gender stereotyping can particularly impact promotions into leadership positions; men are typically considered to have more leadership qualities and capabilities than women, which can affect recruitment decisions. Leadership positions are generally associated with competitive, hostile personalities, little emotion, and longer work hours. These are traits that women are not associated with, due to implicit biases or stereotyping. Women face gendered stereotyping of being responsible for taking care of their families, being emotional, and not being dominantly assertive. Interestingly, these kinds of qualities are becoming increasingly valued in the context of building more inclusive and supportive research cultures.

It is important to recognise that men can also experience gender stereotyping, although there is less evidence to suggest that this negatively impacts on long-term career prospects. This often becomes evident around work-life balance decisions, where there is less expectation for them to take time off around childbirth or contribute to childcare.

Talking about gender equality

We need to have conversations about gender equality to make change, but this isn’t always easy, as men and women come to these conversations with very different perspectives. This blog (and embedded links to Tedx talks) provides some useful insights into men’s and women’s approaches to these conversations, and some top tips for all genders about how to have more productive conversations. To be an ally for women in these conversations you can create safe spaces to allow women to speak up, learn more about challenges for women in academia, and use your voice to convey these challenges so that women don’t need to do all the emotional labour. Men and women need to talk about inequality, and work together to make culture change.

We also need to be mindful in the language we use, and that it doesn’t marginalise women. For example, using gendered language such as calling a collaborative group ‘guys’ when there are women in it may make them feel overlooked and excluded. Some terms are also contentious. For example, the term ‘leaky pipeline’, used to describe the decrease in representation with increasing seniority in academia, can marginalise and demotivate those already in the system, stereotype career pathways through academia (which can be varied), and devalue transitions to other sectors. You can find out more about language use around gender equality in the Inclusive Language Guide.

Under-representation of women in academia, particularly in senior positions

Whilst there is variation in the proportion of female academics across disciplines, Advance HE’s figures from their 2021 report show just under half of academic colleagues in the UK are women (currently 46.7%, up from 40% in 2004). However, women remain under-represented in senior academic roles. Advanced HE also reported that only 27.9% of UK professors are women (up from 25% in 2018). A 2018 report also found that 29% of UK universities have a woman as a Vice-Chancellor or Principal; 37% of executive and senior teams are women; and, 31% of academic faculties or schools are led by women. You can read Advanced HE’s latest reports for updated proportion figures by searching in their Knowledge Hub.

There is no single reason for this under-representation: there are a multitude of reasons. These include biases in hiring and promotion processes, fewer networking and mentorship opportunities, and a lack of role models in senior positions to learn from and look up to. Women are more likely to take extended career breaks (and have more childcare responsibilities) and to work part-time. They also find that progression opportunities are not sufficiently flexible to take their working patterns into account.

Gender stereotyping can also hamper progress, for example, through perceptions that leadership requires combative or competitive personalities and long hours are factors that women are not readily associated with. Women tend to take on more teaching and pastoral roles which often involves more hidden work which can be undervalued in promotions processes. These roles also reduce opportunities for developing their research capacity, again impacting on opportunities for career progression into more senior roles.

Many issues arise from institutional structures, policies and practices, not from the women themselves. The system needs to change in order to support women to thrive, and the Athena Swan Award scheme offers universities in the UK (and elsewhere) the opportunity to evaluate these and accelerate change towards gender equality. There are lots of ways to find out more about the challenges faced by women in academia and the workplace more broadly – a simple Google search will suffice.

Bias and gender stereotyping

There is a substantial amount of published evidence showing how bias and gender stereotyping impacts on how people and their work are evaluated. Women are less likely than men to have their work cited (which impacts on their h index, often used in research evaluations). Trans and non-binary people are often misgendered in their cited work which means they could be impacted by gender stereotypes.

Women are often less successful in winning grants and when they do, these are often for smaller amounts. They are also less likely to be invited to speak at conferences despite their expertise, and are often under-represented at conferences, forums and on discussion panels. Thankfully, some of these inequalities are being actively addressed by universities, academic societies, and funders, and many people feel able to call out situations that they identify as being biased. A good example of this is for “manels” – all-male panels usually produce public outcry from the academic community. We talk about more about manels in our Allyship Guide.

Everyday sexism

Sexism is about prejudice, stereotyping or discrimination against people, usually women, on the basis of their sex. It is exacerbated by hierarchy and power.

Sexism in academia is still an ‘everyday’ problem, manifesting in behaviours such as an unwelcome comment, an awkward gesture or a momentary touch. Everyday sexism is about those everyday experiences of sexism that shape people’s, and especially women’s, lives. Laura Bates has published a book Everyday Sexism which you can read to explore further about the topic.

A Wellcome Trust survey reported that 53% of respondents had witnessed bullying, harassment or discrimination related to gender, and 52% of respondents had experienced it.

Common experiences reported by academic women include:

• being talked over by a male colleague during a meeting,
• being spoken to in a way that is patronising or doesn’t acknowledge their level of expertise or education,
• their achievements receiving less recognition than a male colleague’s,
• or comments being made on the way they dress or look.

The impact of these words and actions can be devastating for people. Women report losing confidence in themselves, experiencing mental health problems, and avoiding certain places and situations. The impact of sexual misconduct on academic engagement, progression and careers is also high, affecting relationships with supervisors, and leading to some participants leaving research and changing their careers. 

Whilst instances may be unconscious, or seen as joking, casual remarks perpetuate gender stereotypes and can make women feel excluded (and in more extreme cases, unsafe). This can impact on their wellbeing and performance at work. The hashtag #MeTooPhD has been used by university colleagues and students to share their experiences of sexual harassment and assault. There are stories of inappropriate comments, unwanted advances at conferences, and the lack of consequences for perpetrators.

Sexist behaviour can be difficult for women to ‘call out’ and draw attention to, particularly when they are a junior colleague or a student. Being a leader in research gives you the opportunity to be a role model for others, look out for and call out instances of everyday sexism, and be an ally for more junior colleagues.

Athena Swan Charter

Despite progress being made, gender inequalities between men and women remain in our society. Women are particularly less represented in senior and decision-making positions (such as company boards or in politics). They are also paid less on average (and consequently have lower pensions). They are also more likely to have experienced sexual harassment or violence in the workplace. The charter now recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly for all genders, and not just barriers to progression that affect women.

Like other sectors, higher education recognises the need to make the most of everyone’s talent and work towards gender equality. The Athena Swan Charter scheme has been a driver for change within academia (in the UK, and beyond) for more than 15 years: there is evidence of positive change, but there is still much to be done.

The Gender Pay Gap

Like in other sectors, women are paid less than men on average in academia. Advance HE’s 2022 report notes that the mean gender pay gap for academic colleagues in the UK shows a 10.3% gap. In academia, the average salary for men is £53,023 whilst that for women is £47,544. This reflects lack of career progression and under-representation of women in more senior positions where 42.0% of male academics earn over £50,000 p.a., compared to 31.3% of female academics. You can read Advanced HE’s latest reports for updated pay gap figures by searching in their Knowledge Hub.

Since 2017, all employers in the UK with over 250 employees annually report on their gender pay gap, and data should be available for your institution or employer if you work in the UK.

In a special issue of Nature, various articles take a look at the gender gap and at what is being done to close it. They acknowledge that despite some progress, women scientists are still paid less, promoted less, win fewer grants and are more likely to leave research than similarly qualified men.

Gender and fieldwork

Menstruation can be seen as a ‘taboo’ subject, but it is something that a menstruating person will need to consider when completing fieldwork in remote environments. If you are leading fieldwork or even taking part in this yourself, check out a Menstruation in the Field Guide that has been produced by colleagues across Newcastle and Northumbria. This guide has lots of information, things to consider as well as a range of further resources.

Menopause

Menopause may happen to: cis women, trans men, non-binary and intersex people. Menopause can affect all aspects of life, and not just for the individuals who are going through it. It affects their co-workers and managers in their workplaces; it affects their friends, families, and relationships. Universities have the opportunity (as employers and experts) to lead the way in driving a positive change in the way we support individuals during the menopause. One creative example for raising awareness is through using animation, but many Universities have regular ‘Meno meet-ups’ or are introducing a menopause policy. As a leader and a colleague, don’t shy away from talking about menopause or the impact it has on those experiencing it. This will allow menopause to become an everyday story. As a leader and a colleague, don’t shy away from talking about menopause or the impact it has on those experiencing it. This will allow menopause to become an everyday story.

Managers should aim to create an open and supportive culture for all employees, including those experiencing menopause, so that everyone feels able to ask for support. Strategies could include access to flexible working, portable fans and quiet rest areas.

Collecting research data on gender, sexual orientation and sex

Billie Moffat-Knox from the School of Psychology has collated some information around inclusive language and appropriate response options for collecting data about participants’ gender, sexual orientation, sex (if relevant), ethnicity and disability/neurodiversity/health conditions. Collecting and reporting this data improves the representation of individuals within scientific research.

Below are some examples of how to ask participants what their gender, sexual orientation and sex are.

What is your gender*? (Where Cisgender means that you identify with the sex you were assigned at birth, i.e. with the sex on your birth certificate)

• Cisgender Woman
• Trans Woman
• Cisgender Man
• Trans Man
• Non-binary
• Self-describe: [open text-entry box]
• Prefer not to say

What is your sexual orientation*?

• Asexual
• Bisexual
• Gay
• Heterosexual/Straight
• Lesbian
• Pansexual
• Queer
• Self-describe: [open text-entry box]
• Prefer not to say

*The most inclusive option for questions about both gender and sexual orientation would be to give an open text box instead of a list of options. For example, there are ~40 sexual orientations because there are multiple gender identities and thus multiple intersections of attraction. However, this is challenging for data collation and analysis, and participants often write ambiguous or problematic responses, such as ‘normal’ or ‘natural’. Providing a list such as the above using inclusive language is considered a fair compromise.

Note: We should only ask participants about their sex if this is pertinent to the research.

What is your sex (assigned at birth)?

• Female
• Male
• Intersex [optional text-entry box to self-describe could be provided]
• Prefer not to say

What actions can we all take? As a researcher, research enabler or leader in research

• Be wary of your biases. Feisty, bossy, sassy, cold, dramatic, overambitious… These are words used to describe women in the workplace that are not applied to men. If you wouldn’t use an adjective to describe a man, reconsider whether you should use it to describe a woman.
• Actively support your local Athena SWAN or gender equality team.You could join them, offer to develop and lead activities, join a mentoring scheme, or read your local application and action plan to better understand some of the challenges, and where you can act and add value. Focus on fixing the system, and not the women.
• Get involved with discipline-specific initiatives. Lots of academic societies have their own activities and EDI leads. It could be something as simple as tweeting your support on key dates, for example, International Women’s Day (8^th March) or Women in STEM Day (11^th February). Ensure that trans women are also included and celebrated on these days.
• Listen to the experiences of women. Attend events organised by women about gender equality, and take time to learn more.
• Think about who you invite to give talks.Women are typically under-represented, and role models are needed. Make sure women aren’t excluded or under-represented at any organised events. Academic societies or disciplines often have lists of women who are great speakers that you could look up if you need to. For example, the DiversifyEEB site aims to help symposium organisers, award committees, search committees, etc. identify ecologists and evolutionary biologists who might diversify their pool.
• Highlight any bias you see in speakers. If you see under-representation of women speakers in a local seminar series, workshop, or even a major conference, contact the organisers and point it out as an issue you would like to see addressed.
• You can take the “no manel” pledge. If you are invited to speak on a panel, and you notice there are no women, bring this to the organiser’s attention. You can ask that the organiser asks a woman instead, or explain that you would only join the panel if it were more representative and inclusive.
• Avoid gendered language. If referring to a group, you can avoid gendered terms by simply calling them friends, collaborators, or colleagues.

What additional actions can you take as a leader in research?

• Help people tackle their Imposter Syndrome. If you are managing a colleague or student who has expressed they have imposter syndrome, support them to find a mentor who they can talk and relate to.
• Call out sexist behaviour. Speak up when you see it yourself and encourage your colleagues to call it out as well.
• Be open to feedback. Team members may come to you with issues they’d like to raise and discuss with you. It’s important to acknowledge them without being defensive. We all make mistakes - it is good to be open to learning. Leaders can role model that they are open to feedback in their teams so that colleagues feel comfortable in doing this too.
• Moderate meetings effectively. When chairing a meeting, if anyone is interrupted, gently call it out, and allow the individual to finish their point. Be wary of any “he-peating” - where a woman’s idea is ignored, and a male colleague repeats it and takes credit.

Throughout this page we have linked to articles, studies and books which you can explore to increase your understanding of gender discrimination. You may also wish to check out our page about Allyship to help understand the various ways that we can be an ally to support our colleagues and students.

There are lots of resources on the web to help you understand more about gender inequalities in academia, what causes them, and ideas for what we can all do to address them and create more inclusive research environments. We recognise that not everyone has the same learning styles, so to complement some of the written information and resources listed throughout this section, below there are a range of video and podcast recommendations to engage with, as well some further research articles that may interest you.

The Newcastle University Library site also hosts a guide to highlight useful information around gender equality. You can also check out our EDI Toolkit Reading List on the library’s EDI page for a summary of books to engage with around the protected characteristics.

Short articles, blogs and reports

• Academia has a gender equality problem. Here’s how to fix it.
• A collection of short articles on gender equality on The Conversation (a search of gender quality academia also provides a range of short relevant essays).
• A new study proves the need for both men and women to talk about inequality – Biance Barratt, 2019
• Ten ways universities can tackle gender inequality – Times Higher Education
• 6 Ways That Women Can Champion Each Other At Work
• Breaking the barriers: Women's retention and progression in the chemical sciences - Royal Society of Chemistry
• Don’t get mad, get equal: putting an end to misogyny in science

Published studies

• Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favour male students – Moss-Causin et al, 2012
• Females are less likely invited speakers to the international Stroke Conference: time’s up to address sex disparity – Fournler et al, 2020
• Gender and academic rank in the UK – Santos & Dang Van Phu, 2019
• Gendered citation patterns across Political Science and Social Science methodology fields – Dion, Sumner & Mitchell, 2018
• The influence of mentorship and role models on university women leaders’ career paths to university presidency – Hill & Wheat, 2017
• Speaking out about gender imbalance in invited speakers improves diversity – Klein, 2017
• Male leaders with paternity leave: effects of work norms on effectiveness evaluations – Gartzia, Sánchez-Vidal & Cegarra Leiva, 2018
• The Matilda Effect in science communication: An experiment on gender bias in publication quality and collaboration interest – Knobloch-Westerwick, Glynn & Huge, 2013
• Gender bias in Academia: findings from focus groups – Huang, 2008
• Gender differences in grant peer review: a meta-analysis – Bornman, Mutz & Daniel, 2007
• The 'glass-ceiling' phenomenon in the career development of successful academic women – Horner, 2004
• Exploring the colour of glass: letters of recommendations for female and male medical faculty – Trix & Penska, 2003

Books

• Feminists Don’t Wear Pink (and other Lies) – Scarlett Curtis
• Invisible Women – Caroline Criado Perez
• Inferior – The true power of women and the science that shows it – Angela Saini
• Why men win at work and how we can make inequality history – Gill Whitty-Collins
• Why aren’t there more women in science? – edited by Stephen Ceci and Wendy Williams
• Inspirational Women in Academia: Supporting Careers and Improving Minority Representation – Natalia Kucirkova and Loleta Fahad
• Stopping Gender-based Violence in Higher Education: Policy, Practice, and Partnerships – Clarissa J. Humphreys and Graham J. Towl
• Menopause: the one-stop guide : a practical guide to understanding and dealing with the menopause – Kathy Abernethy
• The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule – Angela Saini
• Not Just for the Boys: Why We Need More Women in Science – Athene Donald

Videos

• Agenda Plus: Systemic Sexism in Academia – conversation between Cara Stern and Rebecca Sullivan (The Agenda, 15 mins)
• What you can do to reduce gender bias and why you should – Susan Fleming (TedX talk, 16 mins)
• A global history of women’s rights, in 3 minutes

TV and film

• Picture a Scientist (2020) – biologist Nancy Hopkins, chemist Raychelle Burks and geologist Jane Willenbring lead viewers of a journey deep into their own experiences in the sciences, ranging from brutal harassment to years of subtle slights.
• On the Basis of Sex (2018) – a biographical film based on the life and early cases of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
• Hidden Figures (2016) – the story of a team of female African-American mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program.
• Davina Mccall: Sex, Myths and the Menopause (2021) – Davina describes her own menopause journey, busting the myths surrounding the transition while examining the science and fear around hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Podcasts and radio

• The Guilty Feminist

Feeds to follow

@the_female_lead (Twitter)

@the_female_lead (Instagram)

@WomensAgenda (Twitter)

@NU_Women (Twitter)

@NUWomen_ (Instagram)

@EverydaySexism (Twitter)

@Languagematters.ncl (Instagram)

Below you will find a list of services and resources available to colleagues and students at Newcastle University. You may find it useful to be aware of these either for yourself or to direct members of your team to.

NU Women

NU Women is a network that is open to all women who work at the University, including PGRs. The network provides a forum for women to share experiences and ideas, provide mutual support for their career development, and to feed into the University issues of concern and interest to women colleagues. It has a very active blog and Twitter feed (@NU_Women), and you can sign up for a fortnightly newsletter of events and activities through their mailing list.

Athena Swan awards

Newcastle University signed the Athena Swan Charter in 2009, and currently holds an institutional Silver Award. The Faculty of Medical Sciences also has a Silver Award, and there are numerous Bronze awards held by departments across the University. To find out more, including reading the applications and action plans, looking at some best practice, and seeing some of the current initiatives that are being supported, you can visit the institutional Athena SWAN webpages. These reports also consider intersectionality between race and gender.

Report and Support

This online tool can be used by colleagues and students to report any concerns anonymously, make a formal complaint and/or receive support. The site also contains information about the different types of discrimination, including sex discrimination and sexual harassment, and where you can find support, either for yourself or another member of our community.

Training courses and workshops

You can access training on the Learning Management System (LMS) that cover the topics of Sex Discrimination and Language and Gender Inclusivity (ncl login required).

Newcastle University Annual EDI Report

Within Newcastle’s ‘Annual EDI Report’, the University reports on the colleague demographic in terms of the nine protected characteristics. For example, within the 2022 report, it notes that 55.8% of workforce are female and 44.2% of workforce are male.

Gender Pay Gap Reports

Like other large organisations in the UK, Newcastle annually publishes pay gap data. In 2022, the mean (average) gender pay gap was 18.3%. Our mean ethnicity pay gap among non-clinical academics was 13.8%. Finally, our mean disability pay gap among all colleagues was 12.9%. This report also outlines the work being undertaken to address this inequality and priorities going forward, and also reports on pay gaps by ethnicity and self-declared disability.

Menopause Factsheet

At Newcastle we have Menopause Factsheet that lists what you need to know if you are a Manager and how we can support you as a colleague.

Meno Meet Up

There is an opportunity for those at Newcastle to join informal conversations about the lived experience of peri-menopause and menopause, organised by VOICE.