Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1495665
2 Unity SUNDAY 26 MARCH 2023 Dr Roberta Attard Head of Department of Counselling Dr Claire Azzopardi Lane Deputy Dean Dr Christian Borg Xuereb Head of Department of Gerontology & Dementia Studies Dr Gottfried Catania Deputy Dean, Head of Department of Psychology Prof. JosAnn Cutajar Head of Department of Gender & Sexualities Dr Ingrid Grech Lanfranco Head of Department of Child & Family Studies Dr Vickie Gauci Head of Department of Disability Studies Prof. Mary Ann Lauri Faculty Senate Representative Dr Maria Pisani Head of Department of Youth & Community Studies Dr Sandra Scicluna Head of Department of Criminology Dr Sue Vella Head of Department of Social Policy & Social Work Alison Darmanin Faculty Manager HEADS OF The DEPARTMENTS oF THE FACULTY FOR SOCIAL WELLBEING Welcome to the Faculty facultyforsw um.socialwellbeing Prof. Andrew Azzopardi - Dean PICTURE a Scientist (2020), a film by Sharon Shattuck & Ian Cheney, docu- ments the upsurge of researchers ad- vocating for women scientists. In this film, biologist Nancy Hopkins, chem- ist Raychelle Burks, and geologist Jane Willenbring guide viewers through their own life stories and experienc- es in research and academia. Their narratives range from harassment to more or less subtle slights; from cramped laboratories to fieldwork with jaw-dropping Antarctica back- drops tainted by (equally jaw-drop- ping, for different reasons, of course) sexist behaviour. In a nutshell, the film is a critical encounter with social scientists, neuroscientists, and psy- chologists, illuminating how research and academia can fall short of being equitable and meritocratic. Back in 1969, feminist Carol Ha- nisch inspired second-wave, radical feminism and women's studies with her published essay The Personal is Political. 1 Hanisch rebutted that sex, appearance, abortion, childcare, or division of labour in domestic settings were merely personal issues without political importance. She urged wom- en to overcome self-blame, discuss their situations amongst each other, and organise collectively against pa- triarchy and sexism. Half a century later, feminist advocacy groups have made admirable and effective in- roads. Yet Picture a Scientist candid- ly reminds us of the extent to which perpetrators, decision-makers – and even victims – can be apologetic, se- cretive and confessional about gen- der-based discrimination and gen- der-based violence. Academic titles are often seen as a sign of having achieved a certain lev- el of expertise in a field of study that invariably leads to upward socio-eco- nomic mobility, prestige, opportunity and work-life balance. However, such titles and assumptions often gloss over precarious work conditions and hardships; particularly at the inter- sections between the professional and the personal aspects of some schol- ars' lives. Research shows young or early career and women academics are expected to take on additional responsibilities outside of their pro- fessional roles in order to prove their worth; whilst juggling family-moti- vated career breaks, reduced hours, casualised work, low remunerations, long working hours, increasing and taxing mobility requirements, intense academic competition, overwhelm- ing administrative and organisational tasks, lack of recognition by research organisations and a series of definite employment contracts that can in- hibit specialisation, publication, and career progression. 2,3 It is therefore unsurprising that gender equality has been on the Eu- ropean political agenda for research and innovation over the last decades. Many European Union (EU) funded projects focus on gender mainstream- ing in research institutions through the implementation of Gender Equal- ity Plans, certification and award schemes. The ongoing EU-funded COST Action VOICES (2021-2025) is working towards increasing the vis- ibility of inequalities faced by young researchers, using a gender and in- tersectional perspective to factor in also the experiences of scholars with disability, ethnic or other minority backgrounds, and those hailing from socio-politically and economically challenged regions. Initiatives of Malta's National Com- mission for the Promotion of Equal- ity (NCPE), such as the online Di- rectory of Professional Women and the Equality Mark – a certification awarded to organisations that show evidence of gender equality values and management practices – are more en- couraging. As to the time of writing, the University of Malta (UM) is work- ing its way towards being awarded the Equality Mark, whilst work done by the UM's Gender Equality and Sexu- al Diversity Committee, Health and Wellness Centre and the latest Gen- der Equality Plans are remarkable. On another note, in the EU 2022 Innovation Scoreboard, Malta is rat- ed as a "Moderate Innovator" with performance at 84.7% of the EU av- erage and increasing at a rate low- er (6.7%-points) than that of the EU (9.9%-points). 4 This means Malta's country's per- formance gap to the EU is becoming larger. However, perhaps more wor- rying, is the negligible evidence on how the EU 2022 Innovation Score- board itself measures equitable and equal participation in research. So, what's the way forward? There are latent and nuanced di- mensions of precarity in research and academia that we know little about; in some cases, they are still taboos. These can include intersections with researchers' relations with intimate partners, particularly in contexts that are heteronormative, patriarchal or grappling with 'threatened mascu- linities'. Similarly, intersections with rare, terminal or chronic physical or mental health threats affecting re- searchers, or their dependants, or intersections with class and cultur- al capital which, for first-generation PhDs and academics, often translate into a hard-to-overcome 'imposter's syndrome'. Participatory, longitudinal and mixed-methods action research that maps researchers' biographies and creates authentic and emancipa- tory opportunities is key. This is expensive research, challeng- ing institutions and authorities to put their money where their mouth is. This is research that calls for a com- mitment that outlives electoral cycles - and tenures. This is research that is not partisan; but it is certainly politi- cal and, unashamedly, public. Dr Maria Brown Faculty of Education In research and academia, the "personal is (still!) political" References 1. Hanisch, C. (1969). The personal is political. https://www. carolhanisch. org/CHwritings/ PIP.html 2. European Science Foun- dation (2017). 2017 Career tracking survey of doctorate. Holders: Project report 3. Murgia, A. & Poggio, B. (2019). Gender and precarious research careers: A comparative analysis. Routledge 4. European Commission (2022). European Innovation Scoreboard 2022: Malta First up...