Astronomy

AASWOMEN Newsletter for May 16, 2014

AAS Committee on the Status of Women

Issue of May 16, 2014

eds: Michele M. Montgomery, Daryl Haggard, Nick Murphy, & Nicolle Zellner

SPECIAL EDITION: Fed Up with Sexual Harassment

1. Defining the Problem

2. Survival of the Clueless

3. The Serial Harasser's Playbook

4. Power to Speak Up

5. Fed Up with Sexual Harassment

6. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter

7. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter

8. Access to Past Issues of the AASWomen Newsletter

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1. Fed Up With Sexual Harassment: Defining the Problem

From: John Johnson via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

?I think it's very important to point out one important aspect of sexual harassment in comparison to the other factors that impede equal access in astronomy, such as the two-body problem, implicit (unconscious) bias, stereotype threat, lack of family leave policies at our institutions, etc. Of all of these various factors, sexual harassment is specifically prohibited by federal law. If we can't solve an illegal barrier for women in astronomy, how can we tackle the other issues that prevent equal opportunities for employment in our field?

We astronomers depend on our brains to do our job. Because the same brain that we use to solve differential equations and write computer code is the same brain used to process our social environment, sexual harassment of any kind most certainly interferes with astronomers' ability to do their jobs.

Read more at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/05/fed-up-with-sexual-harassment-defining.html

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2. Fed Up With Sexual Harassment: Survival of the Clueless

From: Joan Schmelz via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

Long-term readers of the Women in Astronomy Blogspot will know that I ?Came Out? as a victim of sexual harassment in 2011... Helping victims navigate the confusing rules, hazardous landscapes, and blame-the-victim strategies has been part of my raison d?etre since joining CSWA. I am amazed at how much sexual harassment still goes on in the astronomy community. Unfortunately, it is not just a thing of the past.

Read more about how sexual harassment manifests itself in the 21st century at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/05/fed-up-with-sexual-harassment-survival.html

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3. Fed Up With Sexual Harassment: The Serial Harasser's Playbook

From: John Johnson via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

?rather than publicly naming the (well-known) serial harassers in astronomy, I'll instead publish their (combined) playbook. I've witnessed some of these individuals practice their "craft," and I've heard even more stories. What's remarkable is how consistent they are in doing what they do. I realize there is some risk in publishing this, because it may cause the offenders to change up their strategy. It'll also no doubt ruffle feathers because sexual harassment is such a powerful and effective tool in maintaining a power imbalance in our field. But I figure that risk is nowhere near as bad as allowing them to negatively impact further lives through their actions.

To read the Serial Harasser?s Playbook, please see

http://www.womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/05/fed-up-with-sexual-harassment-serial.html

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4. Fed Up With Sexual Harassment: Power to Speak Up

From: Caitlin Casey via womeninasatronomy.blogspot.com

I haven?t always been an advocate for ?women?s issues? in academia. I have distinct [not-so-distant] memories of rolling my eyes when hearing about ?diversity workshops? or scholarship/fellowship opportunities only available to women or men of color or white women. I thought we were beyond this. I thought the playing field was leveled. I even thought such `nonsense? did a disservice to underrepresented groups in science by unnecessarily reminding them of their uphill battle and struggles of the past. And then I had a major wake up call.

Read more about Caitlin?s experiences at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/05/fed-up-with-sexual-harassment-power-to.html

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5. Fed Up with Sexual Harassment

From: Dara Norman via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

Editor?s Note: This is a reprint of Dara Norman's January 2014 STATUS article.

I am not too social with my media and I am not much for reading blogs. However, even lacking modern connectivity, I still managed to hear about the ?urban whore? episode through the electronic grapevine (a listserver). The outrage of the sender and the sketchiness of the account made me immediately curious. A very brief synopsis is that an African American femalescientist who writes a blog for Scientific American under the title ?Urban Scientist? was asked to contribute to another science blog. When she inquired about compensation, she was asked, in an email, by the editor if she was ?an urban scientist or an urban whore.? Googling ?urban whore? turned out to be sufficient to get the story.

Read more about Dara?s reaction ? and her advice to the community ? at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2014/05/fed-up-with-sexual-harassment-guest.html

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6. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter

To submit an item to the AASWOMEN newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org

All material will be posted unless you tell us otherwise, including your email address.

When submitting a job posting for inclusion in the newsletter, please include a one-line description and a link to the full job posting.

Please remember to replace "_at_" in the e-mail address above.

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7. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

Join AAS Women List by email:

Send email to aaswlist+subscribe_at_aas.org from the address you want to have subscribed. You can leave the subject and message blank if you like.

Be sure to follow the instructions in the confirmation email. (Just reply back to the email list)

To unsubscribe by email:

Send email to aawlist+unsubscribe_at_aas.org from the address you want to have UNsubscribed. You can leave the subject and message blank if you like.

To join or leave AASWomen via web, or change your membership settings:

https://groups.google.com/a/aas.org/group/aaswlist

You will have to create a Google Account if you do not already have one, using https://accounts.google.com/newaccount?hl=en

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8. Access to Past Issues

http://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

- Aaswomen Newsletter For October 23, 2015
AAS Committee on the Status of WomenIssue of October 23, 2015eds: Daryl Haggard, Nicolle Zellner, Meredith Hughes, & Elysse Voyer This week's issues: 1. Don?t Masculinize the Letter of Recommendation: Towards a Truly Gender-Brave Science Community...

- Aaswomen Newsletter For July 31, 2015
AAS Committee on the Status of WomenIssue of July 31, 2015eds: Daryl Haggard, Nicolle Zellner, Meredith Hughes, & Elysse Voyer This week's issues: 1. Career Panel Discussion2. Online Harassment: The Dangers and Damages 3. Men Totally Overestimate...

- Aaswomen Newsletter For May 23, 2014
AAS Committee on the Status of WomenIssue of May 23, 2014eds: Michele M. Montgomery, Daryl Haggard, Nick Murphy, & Nicolle Zellner This week's issues: 1. Why We Resist Unconscious Bias2. June AAS Town Hall: Addressing Sexual Violence on College...

- Aas Women For October 25, 2013
AAS Committee on the Status of Women Issue of October 25, 2013eds: Michele M. Montgomery, Daryl Haggard, Nick Murphy, & Nicolle Zellner This week's issues: 1. The Career-Life Beer Hour2. Unearned Advantage3. Raising the Bar in Physics Graduate...

- Aaswomen For April 5, 2013
AAS Committee on the Status of Women Issue of April 5, 2013 eds. Caroline Simpson, Michele M. Montgomery, Daryl Haggard, and Nick Murphy This week's issues: 1. Sexual Harassment at Astronomical Observatories2. List of Women Astronomers3. Science Journalism...

Astronomy