Aness Webster (Nottingham) has drawn my attention to the BPA/SWIP-UK Mentoring Scheme for Women in Philosophy. Here is a brief description of the project, which is not just for job-market mentoring but for "all women from first-year PhD level onwards who are students of philosophy or employed on teaching and/or research contracts (including fractional contracts) in universities in the UK or Ireland." Here's a brief description of the program:
Women are under-represented in UK philosophy at all levels, from Masters students to professors. The British Philosophical Association and the Society for Women in Philosophy (UK) have produced a comprehensive report, Women in Philosophy in the UK, which includes some recommendations and suggestions that individuals, departments, conference organisers and so on can follow in order to increase the representation of women at all levels.
Mentoring is a key mechanism by which women can gain valuable skills, advice, perspective, and experience that will help them to realise their potential and develop their academic careers. Studies have shown that women in male-dominated fields often receive far less mentoring than their male colleagues. With this in mind, we have developed a national scheme so that all women in philosophy from first-year PhD to Senior Lecturer are able to take advantage of the benefits that mentoring has to offer, if they wish to do so.
The aims of the scheme are to:
- increase self-confidence and reduce isolation of women philosophers in what is still a male dominated environment;
- encourage more women to continue within philosophy and to take on more senior roles;
- provide women opportunities to discuss the problems they face;
- offer women informed advice about their personal career development;
- raise the profile of women in philosophy.
Professor Webster can be reached at [email protected], and the Mentoring Scheme address is [email protected].
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