Current situation in the positions and hierarchical spaces in an Earth Sciences Research Center (CICTERRA, Argentina): A gender perspective approach

HALAC SILVANA; LECOMTE KARINA; STERREN ANDREA; AVILA PILAR; BORDA LAURA; COPPA VIGLIOCCO ARIADNA; COPPO RENATA; ECHEGOYEN CECILIA; LEONE FLORENCIA; NOBILE JULIETA; PANNUNZIO MINER ELISA; PISANI NERINA; SERRA FERNANDA; SFERCO EMILIA; SOTO RUEDA ELIANA

Bariloche

Conferencia; IAL IPA 2022. Lagos, Memorias del Territorio; 2022

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LIMNOGEOLOGY and INTERNATIONAL PALEOLIMNOLOFY ASSOCIATION

The Argentinian Earth Sciences Research Center (CICTERRA) is a CONICET and UNC institute (since 2007) focused on geosciences research. In 2020 it already had more than one hundred members including researchers, technicians of the upport Personnel Career, university professors, doctoral and postdoctoral students and administrative staff. Women represent 54% of the total population. However, when the members are broken down into the different scientific positions (5 categories), a clear imbalance can be seen between the lowest research categories (mostly dominated by women) and the highest ones (dominated by men). Regarding hierarchical positions, the direction has always been represented by men, whereas only 1 woman was co-director. Analyzing the evolution from 2017 to 2020, women changed from the first and second categories to the third one. However, in the fourth category the number of women remained constant, while the men doubled. The highest category never had female representatives. Regarding doctoral students, the proportion remained constant (55% of female members). In relation to the technical staff, more than 60% is represented by women. During the last decades, the participation of women in science in Argentina has increased, equaling that of men. However, hierarchical positions are still dominated by men and it is clear that the invisible barriers as the ?glass ceiling? still influence significantly in the academic evolution of women. Furthermore, the phenomenon ?frozen middle? describes the slowed down women?s progress, if not halting, in the ranks of middle categories. This affects female professionals, as well as women in a variety of fields including science. The gender inequality in the scientific system in Argentina is still pronounced. More research about this subject deepening about the lower proportion of women in hierarchical positions in the scientific system, would make it possible to better distinguish the obstacles to occupy those spaces