Janne-Mieke Meijer works with love and joy as a researcher at TU/e. She did not just land herself this job, she got it through preferential treatment. For the first six months after it had become available, only women can apply for scientific vacancies. This has been the university’s policy for five years. “I was sometimes told: ‘You were only hired because you are a woman.’”
Irène Curie Fellowship
The goal of the so-called Irène Curie Fellowship is indeed to attract more women to TU, traditionally a male stronghold. In Janne-Mieke’s eyes, that doesn’t mean that the work just comes easy for a woman. “I’m still competing with about ninety women. I’m still the best candidate because the other women didn’t get hired. So that’s a non-argument.”
The creator of the women’s policy strongly agrees. She says it is not at the expense of the quality of scientists. “We look at the qualities we need. If the suitable candidate is not among them, the vacancy opens to everyone after six months,” explains initiator Evangelia Demerouti.
Fuss
The policy caused a stir. More than fifty complaints were received by the RADAR antidiscrimination agency because of male discrimination. The Human Rights Board also looked into the matter. After some adjustments, the green light was given for the Irène Curie Fellowship.
A good decision, according to the researcher, because men are often given preference in equal situations. “Right now, you cannot separate gender and the best candidate. Scientific research has shown that women with exactly the same resumé are seen as less than men.”
That has implications for interviews. “If I go and apply for this job with the same qualities as a male colleague, I may still not be hired even though we have the same qualities. The problem is that people hiring new people have unconscious biases.”
Bearing fruit
So the women’s policy, in her view, has come at just the right time. And has already borne fruit after more than five years. The proportion of female scientists at TU has grown from 22 to 29 per cent.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Anitha Sevugan
