There are now more women in science and engineering than ever before, and they are making a huge contribution to ANSTO. International Womens Day is a time to reflect on both the achievements and challenges for women in science.
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Starting out as a chemical engineer, Sarah Ballantyne now wears many hats including Compliance and Quality Manager for ANSTO’s Nuclear Business, and Executive Officer for PETNET. She is one of two women on the ANSTO Nuclear Medicine (ANM) Board.
But although Sarah has successfully navigated male-dominated business areas, and attitudes are changing, she often still finds herself in a room full of men.
“I’ve been to meetings with 50 people where only one of them is a woman,” says Sarah.
But this experience is not universal. The reverse is true for Suzanne Hollins, Senior Research Scientist in the Institute for Environmental Research, who leads a team of researchers primarily made up of women.
Joanne Lackenby is the Licensing Officer and Environmental Co-ordinator for ANSTO’s OPAL research reactor, monitoring OPAL’s regulatory compliance. She says working at ANSTO was always her dream.
Like Sarah, Joanne has never felt put off by the number of men in the world of nuclear science.
“I have always been fascinated by all things nuclear so that was the burning passion that steered me toward my career at ANSTO. But I’ve got a background in environmental engineering as well.,” she said.
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| Dr Vanessa Peterson |
Vanessa Peterson is another woman making great strides at ANSTO.
As a materials science researcher specializing in the broad group of analysis techniques known as neutron scattering, Vanessa also leads a research group that uses these techniques to progress materials associated with alternative and sustainable energy technologies.
International Women’s Day is a special occasion that Vanessa remembers well, as it was the day that her daughter was due last year. Her daughter is now enrolled in the nursery at the newly built childcare facility at ANSTO, which Vanessa says is the only reason she is able to work full-time.
Sarah says it’s the ability to negotiate flexible working hours that is important for the team that she looks after, especially if they are parents. One of her staff took paternity leave and now has a child enrolled at ANSTO’s new childcare centre.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, what I’ve noticed is there’s a lot more people are getting involved in childcare these days,” says Sarah.
Helen Maynard-Casely is an instrument scientist for the WOMBAT high-intensity powder diffractometer at the Bragg Institute. Her passion for crystallography is helping to inspire a non-science audience to understand the benefits this type of science can deliver. She is also a regular columnist for The Conversation website.
“It’s the everyday examples that have shown me that I’m surrounded by incredible women at the Bragg Institute, some of whom have a family and have accomplished a lot in their careers as well,” says Helen.
Jasmin Craufurd-Hill, who among other things is an Executive Board Member of Women in Nuclear and a Senior Systems Engineer here at ANSTO is the only woman currently qualified to drive OPAL, ANSTO’s research reactor.
She is just one of the many women in highly technical roles at ANSTO, in areas that have previously been dominated by men.
Jasmin is a great admirer of women in leadership positions at ANSTO including our female board members Ms Erica Smyth, Professor Judy Raper and Dr Susan Pond AM, who each dedicate time to supporting the growth of women in science.
But although women’s representation in the sciences may have come a long way in a short time around the world, in Australia, and at ANSTO, she says there is always room for improvement.
“If someone takes a career interruption in a highly technical field, there need to be mechanisms in place to ensure that people are still part of the organisation and their field while they’re away and that they also have a chance to boost their career to get to the forefront when they return,” Jasmin says.
Helen agrees, adding that some attitudes about women in the industry still need to change. “Often people are surprised when they hear that I’m a Physicist,” she says. Joanne notes that the main challenge is attracting women to the field of nuclear science and engineering.
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| “I’m celebrating International Women’s Day because I can have a career and a child and it’s not frowned upon” – Sarah Ballantyne |
“I’ve always been quite passionate about nuclear science but most women are only interested in the biology and chemistry side of the sciences – they don’t care about physics. Because of that, many women have a negative view of anything to do with nuclear and are quick to believe the scare-mongering of anti-nuclear groups.”
According to UNESCO, just 30% of the world’s researchers are women. While a growing number of women are enrolling in university, many opt out at the highest levels required for a research career. However some new data shows that in Bolivia, women account for 63% researchers, compared to France with a rate of 26% or Ethiopia at 8%.
While the numbers of female researchers at ANSTO could be better they have actively contributed to the perception of women in science, especially in Australia. We take a look at the progress we have made and the work still to be done.
ANSTO employs 338 women, up from 250 in 2010, and is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) principles and practices. International Women’s Day (IWD) was first celebrated in Europe in 1911 as a campaign for women’s rights.
This Saturday March 8, International Women's Day is marked across the globe with thousands of events to inspire women and celebrate the achievements made in reaching gender equality.