In November 2019 I founded the Kunhã Asè Women in Science Network, alongside three other researchers at Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA). The network aims to provide intellectual and emotional support to young scientists in Bahia state and to promote science as a possible career for girls.
Gender inequality in science, the "leaky pipeline", lack of female representation in STEM, careers and so on, is not a new debate in Brazil. Yet, in my home state and in my alma mater, we lacked an organized movement committed to tackling these issues at the personal, professional, and institutional levels.
We started our network by establishing our vision, mission and values. We also invested in creating a visual identity combining important elements from different scientific fields that honor women scientists who preceded us.
Our vision, mission and values are as follows:
Vision: One pulls up the other
Mission: Create a network of intellectual and emotional support for women scientists in the state of Bahia, and to encourage the entry of girls and women into science through courses and events to promote and popularize science in the state.
Values: We believe that the participation of women in the sciences - biological, human and exact, is essential for the construction of a socially just and ecologically balanced society. We believe in gender equality and understand that different women face different obstacles - depending on their color, social class, sexuality, gender identity, as well as their area of knowledge.The notion of intersectionality permeates our decisions, discussions and events. As women and partners, we believe in a collaborative, generous, friendly science, without sacrificing rigor. We strive for a healthy academic environment. We believe that science only ends when it is communicated, and that the popularization and democratization of science is, in the current scenario, an obligation for all of us.
As I write this, six months later, the network has more than thirty women from many institutions and states. We have organized and participated in numerous debates about gender and science, we have offered free courses for young scientists (including workshops on practical themes like 'organizing skills to increase academic productivity', 'how to go through graduation on a budget', and so on), and have also pushed for institutional changes, with some small victories such as including maternity as a tiebreaker criterion for admission of graduate students.
Because of the spread of the coronavirus pandemic to Brazil, our in-person activities and events planned for 2020 were suspended, and have not been yet rescheduled. Yet, while in social distancing, we are offering online workshops and "lives" discussing gender-related themes to our fellow scientists who follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We have been using our social media accounts as the main communication channel with these researchers, as we strive to continue providing emotional and intellectual support throughout this crisis.
If you would like to know more about our women in science network, find us on Instagram @kunhaase , or drop us an e-mail at kunhaase@gmail.com
