Harassing behaviour is pervasive in astronomy, with about a third experiencing discrimination at college or at work. That is according to a new report by American Institute of Physics (AIP) and the American Astronomical Society (AAS) that outlines ways forward for the community to rid itself of discriminatory conduct that has caused many researchers to leave the field.
The report is based on a longitudinal survey about harassment and discrimination experienced by early-career astronomers that began in 2003. It initially polled male and female students in astronomy graduate courses during the 2006/07 college year and then followed up with the same individuals in 2012/13 and 2015/16, by which time the students had entered the workplace. About 800 of the original 1300 candidates responded to the follow-up survey, where about a third reported having experienced harassment and discrimination at college or at work.
The latest report, released in late March, identifies four of the most common types of harassment. They are biased assumptions about young astronomers’ status, careers and personal life; verbal putdowns, such as jokes, criticisms and undermining comments; inequitable treatment based on demography that limited the young astronomers’ social support and professional development; and unwanted sexual attention that ranged from inappropriate comments to threats, stalking and assault.
The survey also reveals that harassing and discriminatory behaviour is not restricted to senior supervisors who are generally white and male. “It’s not just the bad actors,” says Rachel Ivie, director of the AIP’s statistical research centre, who co-authored the report.
“Harassment and discrimination can appear peer-to-peer, and even by subordinates to superiors – putting a female professor ‘in her place’, for example, or PhD candidates harassing postdocs.” Women are not the only victims either. “Men from under-represented groups were more likely to experience discrimination,” Ivie adds. “Women of colour were the most likely.” Bullying and harassment rife in astronomy and geophysics, finds poll
The AAS says it will now begin to implement measures to reverse the trend by, for example, adopting a code of ethics and an anti-harassment policy. AAS president Paula Szkody of the University of Washington says that the organization will now conduct a poll of graduate students to test progress on the initiatives.
Ivie adds the importance of questioning and restructuring organizational settings that enable such behaviours. “Harassment and discrimination can reinforce or realign power differentials in academic work and educational settings,” she says. “We’re now looking at the effect of harassment and discrimination on individual careers – what can be done in the field of astronomy to reduce attrition.”
