WICS & WISE+ organise panel on diversity and stereotyping in academia

What does it take to create a safe space in academia? At a recent panel organised by WICS (Women in Information and Computing Sciences) and WISE+ (Women+ in Science Endeavour), that question came up more than once. With six panelists from different backgrounds, the event focused on real-life experiences with diversity, discrimination, and subtle (and not-so-subtle) biases in education and research.

Making academic spaces feel safer and more inclusive doesn’t lie in rules or good intentions alone, according to the panel. Change comes when people share their experiences, when institutions take action, and when the daily reality in classrooms, labs, and hiring processes is taken seriously.

Policy

Lynda Hardman, a professor at Utrecht University since 2015, reflected on more than ten years of pushing for change in academia. One major shift came when UU introduced a rule that at least 35% of new assistant professor hires had to be women, she said. “That’s when things started moving.”

Stereotypes

However, gender stereotypes still affect education and research, the panelists agreed. Gunnar Húni Björnsson, policy advisor and chair of Queer at UU, noted that programmes seen as ‘feminine’, such as psychology or applied AI, are often undervalued. A dynamic that Hugo van der Wilt (a board member of study association A-Eskwadraat, however, not speaking on behalf of the association nor the board during the panel) also observes in the sciences: “Women tend to choose applied subjects or climate science, fields that are then labeled as less ‘hard’”, he observed.

Change is happening slowly, though: Francisca Pessanha, a PhD candidate in the Human-Centered Computing group, sees their own technical field becoming more attractive to women, partly because the image of the engineer is shifting. “I’ve noticed that, in the last couple of years, it has become more socially acceptable for women to study engineering in my home country.”

Good intentions

Bias doesn’t just disappear just because you mean well, and lasting change needs more than good intentions. “You can genuinely believe in equality and still act on subconscious bias,” Claudia Wieners, assistant professor in Physical Oceanography, explained. “That’s why we all need to actively work against our biases, as much as possible.” She also mentioned the importance of how we respond to biased behaviour: “If someone acts in a biased way, it doesn’t always come from a bad place. That behaviour should be discussed, but not in an accusatory way unless there’s clear evidence of harmful intent.” In hiring, for instance, confidence is often mistaken for competence. “Men tend to come across as more self-assured. That doesn’t mean they’re better,” Hardman added. “Just an example of how bias can sneak in.”

You can genuinely believe in equality and still act on subconscious bias. That’s why we all need to actively work against our biases, as much as possible

Stories

Not everyone cares about diversity and inclusion. So, how do you get people to care? Wieners: “People like stories. They switch off when you start talking in abstract terms,” she said. “But if you keep it concrete, they’ll listen.”

According to Barbara van den Berg, educational director of the bachelor’s Mathematics, change can be influenced through daily behavior, especially for teachers. “We all need to show the behaviours we want to promote: ask questions, participate, show openness,” she said. Student networks play a role as well. “Minority students often form smaller groups, but to really thrive, you need a broader support system. Try to include different people in your network.”

One final takeaway for teachers to invite more interactions in the classroom: instead of asking “does anyone have a question?”, try “what questions do you have?” That small change can make a big difference in making people feel invited to speak.