Xia Westerman was interested in studying geology, but was forced to pursue an arts degree due to a lack of flexibility during field trips.
key points:
- People with disabilities make up just six percent of university enrollment
- There has been a lack of inclusion in the science professions
- But a group of women are setting an example for the next generation
“I’ve always been interested in studying that subject. I tried to find local universities so I could study on campus,” she said.
“I tried searching online. I found something where you had to go abroad to study… I didn’t want to do that at that time.”
Ms Westerman, who suffers from muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, could not find anything in Australia that was able to meet her needs.
Statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that only a small number of higher education students have disabilities.
In 2022, people with disabilities made up only 6.3 per cent of university enrollment in Australia, and only 1.2 per cent had a severe disability. Only a handful of them studied science.
Women with disabilities ‘underestimated’
Geologist and lecturer Melanie Finch believes that the lack of inclusion in geology is an attitude problem rather than a lack of opportunities for academics with disabilities.
“General Approach” [is] You will not be able to become a geologist because you are not able to traverse the rough terrain,” she said.
“It’s ridiculous. There are hardly any geologists traveling the rough terrain on a regular basis.”
“People with disabilities may be underestimated or written off in a way because people don’t understand the scope of what people with disabilities are capable of,” Finch said.
Finch has become a leader in breaking gender stereotypes about scientists and is a powerful role model for girls and women seeking careers in male-dominated industries.
Dr Finch is moving forward on multiple fronts as a lecturer in geology at James Cook University and as chair of Women in Earth and Environmental Sciences in Australia (WOMEESA), connecting women working in academia, industry and government. network is.
‘Leaked pipeline’ sees women out of the workforce
A research paper co-authored by her found that nearly half of geoscience students were female, but as they enter the workforce, the numbers begin to drop.
It found that this “leaking pipeline” extends to academia, as well as the mining industry in Australia, and that the starting salaries of male university graduates were about six percent higher than that of women in geosciences.
Finch said the reasons women leave geology include unequal pay, sexual harassment and assault, and discrimination in the workplace.
She said sexual harassment was the main reason women left the mining industry, but the issues were more subtle in the university sector.
“The number one for me would be unconscious bias or implicit bias against women,” Finch said.
“And they influence decisions around hiring and promotion. And at the same time, they affect workplace culture,” she explained.
Women with disabilities must grapple with intersectional biases because they fit two very different minority demographics.
Interdepartmentalism refers to the interconnected nature of social classifications such as race, class, gender and disability and how they can overlap to create harm and discrimination.
Global studies have shown that women with disabilities were much less likely than men to be employed, educated or have equal pay.
Colleagues shouldn’t assume ‘what’s best’
It’s hard to be a disabled female scientist but Verity Normington has been a field geologist for years.
Dr Normington has been affected by Crohn’s disease all his life.
She first noticed symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease while finishing high school, and this continued to affect her studies at university.
“It meant that sometimes I had to go part-time, especially at uni. I had some serious surgery,” she said.
“I took two different semesters off, which left me behind. So, it took me about five years to complete my undergraduate.”
But chronic illness did not stop him from being successful in his career.
Dr Normington has lived in some of the most remote landscapes in central Australia, but he says his colleagues sometimes think they know what’s best for them without asking.
“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, we’ll let Verity rest and recover’… but they never really asked me what I wanted to do,” she said.
“When people have said, ‘Actually, you shouldn’t do this because of illness’, it comes from the best of places, but it doesn’t really come from an informed place.”
culture of discrimination
Geologist Carolyn Locust, who co-authored the research paper with Dr Finch, said part of the problem was that geology suffered from an underlying culture that discriminated against difference.
“Geosciences is such a male-dominated environment … people don’t always know what to do with a woman in the room,” Dr. Grasshopper said.
“A lot of those cultures haven’t changed with that development in society’s thinking. And I think it creates barriers for women in geosciences.”
The issue of intersection makes science difficult for many minorities.
One female geologist, who did not wish to be named, said that being a woman of color was more of a disadvantage than being a man and part of a racial minority.
“I think there would still be some kind of racial discrimination, but it just makes it worse because of the gender and the color of my skin … I have no doubt about it.
“The issue with the contradiction [is] The more boxes you tick… the female… the different handicapped… it gets really tougher and harder,” she said.
Low ‘respect’ for some disabled
Contraindications are more complex for Amber Boyatzis, a female biochemist with Crohn’s disease and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Dr Boyatzis said there was less respect for behavioral disabilities like ADHD than for strict physical conditions like Crohn’s disease.
Even though both conditions affected her academic career, Dr. Boyatzis has not disclosed her ADHD to her colleagues.
“Thinking about my Crohn’s disease and my ADHD and how they are treated differently, Crohn’s is definitely viewed as something I have no control over,” she said.
“There’s an element of little kindness and that’s why people are quite understanding.
“There’s a really big misunderstanding about what ADHD looks like, what it is, what helps people.
“When I’ve hinted at this, people suspect that I may not have ADHD, that I’m trying to set too high standards for myself … and that hasn’t given me confidence.”
‘Male Privilege’ Benefits
Richard Hill is a field-exploration geologist who believes that “male privilege” and his ‘invisible’ disability have worked in his favor.
Dr. Hill has ADHD and struggled while at university. He usually does not tell people about his condition because it is not well understood.
“I’ve worked for a lot of different companies across Australia as a contractor. Being neuro-atypical, I don’t do that well in systems,” he said.
Although ADHD affected Dr. Hill’s studies, he believes his career has been successful because his disability is not visible, and his field is male-dominated.
“Exploration is somewhat like a boys’ club,” he said.
“If a geologist, whether male or female, is good at his job, everyone is happy with him.
“But if they are perhaps not brilliant at their job, men still find it much easier to find work … whereas a female geologist … may be judged a little more harshly. A male in a similar position Might go a little further.”
Even though the glass ceiling for women in science-based professions has begun to rise, there is still much work to be done to achieve equality and inclusion for women with disabilities.
