Sexual harassment in the world of research: One in two women scientists affected

IN the milieu of science sexist discrimination and sexual harassment remain commonplace all over the world. These cases of violence are all the more difficult to eradicate because they are still subject to a powerful omerta.

According to a large international survey financed by the L'Oréal Foundation, half of the female researchers have been confronted with at least one situation of sexual harassment during their career.

Sexist remarks, being made to feel invisible, encountering a glass ceiling in one's career advancement... The scientific sphere is not immune to gender discrimination, quite the contrary, in fact.

While an increasing number of studies are starting to show just how extensive the lack of equal representation is in many fields, one area still largely remains in the shadows: sexist discrimination and sexual violence in the scientific milieu.

To investigate this issue, an international study conducted by Ipsos and funded by the L'Oréal Foundation interviewed more than 5,000 scientists in 117 countries, on five continents.

The study was carried out exclusively through interviews conducted on the internet.

And the findings are stark: 81% of the women scientists surveyed stated that they had experienced at least one situation of sexism in the course of their work, while 49% of the women scientists surveyed confided that they had been personally confronted with at least one situation of sexual harassment during their career.

The incidences of sexual harassment tallied in this study are recent: for 47% of the victims, the examples took place in the last five years, that is, after the emergence of the #MeToo movement, the study points out.

For 24% of the victims, the incidents happened in the last two years.

An issue particularly affecting young women scientists

When asked about various factors affecting their professional success, 80% of the women cited perseverance as one of the most important factors, well ahead of criteria such as academic excellence (51%) or participation in research projects or publications (46%).

The three most frequently cited obstacles for researchers interviewed for the study were, in order: work-life balance (72%), the impact of motherhood on their career (64%) and the low number of women in management positions (59%).

Sexist remarks and psychological harassment are less often mentioned by women (32% and 24% respectively) in the list of obstacles faced by female scientists.

But the problem remains no less real, as seven out of ten scientists surveyed believe "not enough is said" about sexism and sexual harassment in the scientific research community and 64% of the scientists said the "actions taken to prevent or combat sexual harassment at work" were not enough.

The survey also shows that these cases of sexual harassment are more common among young female researchers: 64% of the women who were victims of harassment experienced such an incident at least once at the beginning of their career.

These situations can have serious consequences: 50% of the women who were victims of harassment said they felt uncomfortable at work, or even vulnerable (30%). And for 21% of them, this has even resulted in a loss of self-esteem and confidence in their abilities.

Only 33% of science researchers are women

"This persistence of everyday sexism, which is worrying because it can lead to more violent expressions, can be explained by the reign of an omerta in this environment. Only 19% of those confronted with a situation of sexual harassment told their institution about it, the study notes.

Indeed, nearly nine out of ten researchers (of all genders) have witnessed sexism at least once in their career. However, only half of them reported what they witnessed (56%), often staying silent for fear of reprisals (39%).

"The results of this international study confirm the inequalities that persist and the urgent need to mobilize on a large-scale," stresses the L'Oréal Foundation, which earlier commissioned a survey conducted in 2019 with Unesco that showed that in the sphere of research, women represent only 33% of scientists.