‘We have a long way to go to achieve true equality in Physics’
IN THE SECOND AND FINAL PART OF OUR FEATURE ON WEXFORD WOMEN IN SCIENCE WE DISCUSS SEXISM AND PAY INEQUALITY IN THE WORKPLACE, EXCELLING IN A MALE-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT AND HOW TO ENCOURAGE MORE GIRLS FROM THE COUNTY TO PURSUE CAREERS IN THE STEM SUBJECTS
NIAMH KAVANAGH, KILLEENS
Niamh Kavanagh’s list of achievements is quite lengthy, but here are some of the highlights.
In 2016 she was awarded the Institute of Physics Rosse Medal, the Early Career Physics Communicator Award, and won the world’s largest science communication competition, the Famelab National Final.
In 2017, she was selected as Irish Representative at the International Week of Scientific Young Talents in Paris.
Last year she was chosen to attend the 69th Nobel Laureate Meeting in 2019 and was one of 580 young scientists from 88 countries who met with 40 Physics Nobel Prize winners in Lindau, Germany.
She has also been listed in the following: the ‘6 Rising Stars of Irish Research’, ‘20 incredible women leading the way to scientific advancement’, and ‘The Community Builders: 13 women helping women in STEM’ by Silicon Republic.
And yet, despite all these accolades, despite achieving so much, she still deals with sexism in the workplace.
‘I’m not very comfortable sharing my personal experiences in this regard,’ Niamh (29) says. ‘But you’re constantly having to mitigate male emotions, ego and expectations to make your way in the workplace.’
Rather than dwell upon these negative experiences, Niamh prefers to offer advice to all those who have witnessed or engaged in sexist behaviour in their own workplace.
‘I’d like to offer some advice to those men who want to fight sexism in the workplace. Please, don’t stay silent, speak up,’ she says.
‘For example, don’t laugh along to bad jokes and then apologise afterwards, say something there and then. Resist the urge to play devil’s advocate - the devil has enough advocates.
‘Finally, if someone tells you that something that you’ve done has been problematic or caused them hurt in some way, try not to get defensive. We all make mistakes and that person is trying to help you to learn how you can be a better ally to them.’
Currently doing her PhD in physics, photonics and fibre-optic communication systems, the Killeens native says that as she has progressed through her career she has become more aware of the damaging attitudes towards women in her field.
‘When I told people I was going to study Physics in college there were raised eyebrows and it was clear that it wasn’t ‘normal’ for a girl to be doing this. It’s not right that that’s the case. Anyone who’s interested in STEM should be able to pursue that interest, without being seen as abnormal.
‘I remember at the start of college, feeling a lot of pressure associated with being underrepresented, feeling like that if I didn’t do well in a test that it reflected badly on my gender as a whole.
‘I felt like I had to do well or it would further confirm the incorrect assumption that Physics wasn’t for women. It made the first few months of college even harder I think. But I had to let that expectation go, it was too much pressure to take on.
‘All you can do is do your best and I did a lot better without that extra pressure. As I’ve gone on in my career, I have found it more difficult working in a male-dominated field.
‘The culture can be very traditional and unwilling to change to become more welcoming or inclusive to women and other marginalised people,’ Niamh says.
Embedded in that culture, Niamh says, is overt sexual discrimination.
‘The obstacles women face are manifold, but sexual discrimination is an indisputable part of it,’ she says, ‘Women in STEM repeatedly report experiencing sexual harassment, being mistaken for administrative staff, being forced to prove themselves to a degree that their male colleagues are not, being told to behave in more aggressive, outspoken masculine ways while simultaneously facing backlash for doing so.
‘Many people assume that career advancement in STEM is a based on merit/qualifications, completely independent of factors such as gender/race. But again and again research shows us that this is not the case.’
Thankfully, none of this has hindered Niamh in her career, far from it.
Having attended Kennedy Park Primary School and the Presentation in Wexford town, Niamh had earned enough points to study Physics in University College Cork (UCC).
However, before beginning her studies she opted to take a year out.
‘I didn’t go straight to University from secondary school. I deferred my place, which means they hold it for you until the next year. I’m the eldest of three children and I knew my brother and sister wanted to go to college too.
‘So I decided to take a year out to work full time and save money for college. I worked as a waitress for a year. It was tough but it was a very valuable experience because it gave me a different perspective on the world of work, what I wanted to do and why I was going to college,’ Niamh explains.
Having graduated in 2014, she successfully applied for a competitive Government of Ireland Scholarship from the Irish Research Council to do a PhD in Photonics. This had led to yet more awards; one of her papers winning the ‘Best Student Paper Award’ at the 18th International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks in 2016.
Passionate about her work and actively involved in encouraging young women to find careers in Physics, Niamh is acutely that she and her female colleagues aren’t being rewarded for their work in the same way as men in her field.
‘In my field of optics and photonics, a 2019 study found that median salaries are 29% higher overall for men than for women, for the same work and qualifications,’ she states.
And she is blunt when asked if women are operating on a level-playing field in the world of STEM.
‘No, I do not think women have equal opportunities to study and progress in science in Ireland. For example, Physics is not offered as a Leaving Certificate subject in many all-girls secondary schools in Ireland.
‘We have a long way to go to achieve true equality in Physics, so that physicists of all genders, races, sexual orientations and diverse backgrounds are included and can reach their full potential within the field.’
But how does one go about bridging that gap?
‘The first thing is to address individual accountability. I think it’s very important that we all reflect on our own implicit biases. The next thing we need to do is to push for real systematic change, for example on a departmental and institutional level.
‘Then finally, there needs to be a real commitment to changing the culture of your organisation to be more diverse, equal and inclusive. For example, ask yourself if everyone is safe in this space?
‘If not, harassers need to be educated or removed. You cannot bring keep bringing fish into shark-infested waters and be surprised if they keep disappearing. The culture needs to be changed and this needs to be an ongoing commitment so that all people are truly safe, included and valued, not pushed out over time. As the saying goes, the water in the pipeline cannot fix the leak.’
While she acknowledges the challenges for those aiming to follow in her footsteps, Niamh urges young women to pursue their interest in STEM
‘It offers very rewarding career opportunities, So, if you’re interested in STEM, please get involved. There are lots of different initiatives to support young people, and young girls especially, who have a passion for STEM. Try to talk to anyone you know who works in a STEM-related job. Ask at your local university or Tech Company to see if they have outreach activities or support structures that you can get involved with.
‘It is important to remember that there is no gender disparity in curiosity, commitment and capability. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for recognition, compensation and opportunity.
‘But I think it’s important to realise that women don’t need to change themselves so that they can benefit from STEM. Instead, we need to change the culture of STEM so that it can benefit from more women.’
MARY DOYLE KENT, COOLBALLOW
When Mary Doyle Kent enrolled in her Manufacturing Engineering course in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in 1986 she was one of just three women in a class of 90.
Not that it bothered her.
‘It wasn’t the norm, but that never bothered me,’ Mary says. ‘I never looked to be part of the norm. I wanted to do my own thing.’
And although there was some initial difficulties, she flourished at DIT.
‘In first year there was a little getting up to speed because we didn’t have the subjects from the Leaving Cert that the guys would have had, Tech Graphics things like that. But once we got over that first hurdle I would say we did very well. To be honest, being a female in a ‘male’s world’ is a great advantage.’
Mary would know.
The only girl of five children she is the daughter of James V Doyle, one of Wexford’s best known mechanics and auto traders, a man who instilled in Mary a love of all things engineering.
‘He had a great interest in boats and salvaging boats, it was all about diesel engines and that kind of stuff in our household,’ she recalls of her time growing up in Coolballow. ‘Even though I wouldn’t have been in the workshop that much, engineering was part of my childhood.
‘My dad had a wonderfully mechanical brain and actually patented a few inventions as I was growing up, he designed a gearbox which has an international patent on it. For me engineering, designing, materials, welding, cutting, milling machines, drills, that was part of life, it was what you did.’
Having attended National School in Piercestown, Mary progressed to the Loreto where she continued to pursue her love of Physics and Maths. However, this was 1980s Ireland.
‘Nobody understood why I considered engineering on careers day. I think my parents were a little bit shocked when I chose that avenue, they didn’t know if it was the right thing or not, but they were wonderfully supportive.’
They were right to be. After graduating from DIT, Mary moved to the Loire valley in France where she worked in the automotive industry, making car parts.
‘I was the only English speaking person there, and the only female engineer. I always like doing things a little bit differently,’ she says.
After four years in France Mary returned to Ireland, first to Maynooth University and then closer to home, first in Hasbro in Waterford and then nearby Bausch and Lomb.
‘I was headhunted to come back to the University of Maynooth, to work in the Department of Experimental Physics. I was working and designing Ferrari wheels, simulating loads and forces on the wheels.
‘Bausch and Lomb was sold while I was working there and, seeing as I had a love of teaching, I decided to combine my two passions; lecturing and engineering, and I became a lecturer in Waterford Institute of Technology.’
That was in 2000, since then Mary has become one of the Southeast’s primary authorities on all things engineering.
In addition to her role as a lecturer in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering she is the chairperson of the region’s Professional Body of Engineers.
Another role she readily accepts is that of mentor to aspiring female engineers in Wexford. Last week she visited the Loreto and Presentation schools to give talks to their Transition Year students, advising them on the benefits of a career in STEM and why there’s never been a better time for girls to follow in her footsteps.
‘We know from the statistics that girls and boys do equally well in Science and Maths, and that’s true all the way up to Leaving Cert. In my mind there’s a problem with confidence and a lack of understanding in what engineering careers entail,’ Mary says.
‘There is no problem in terms of ability, there’s a problem in terms of confidence and understanding, and taking that step into the unknown.’
Adding to this is the difficulty in explaining what it is that people in her profession actually do on a daily basis.
‘Engineers aren’t very good at explaining what we do and everyone will give you a dfferent answer because there are so many types of engineering courses; every career, every job is different.
‘I think girls are more inclined to go down the avenues of the tried and trusted careers. They’re not willing to take the ambitious step to something they don’t know or understand,’ Mary says.
This is something which Mary is fighting to change however. And she says the women who take her classes are living proof of the opportunities available to those who take the plunge.
‘You have to be resilient, nothing will be handed to you on a plate, and you probably have to work a little bit harder than the guys. I see it in my female students, they’re very organised, very determined.
‘From the minute they walk in to WIT, they’re looking at their percentages, they’re very structured, they know how to work hard, and that’s true all the way through.’
Mary says there will always be work for women who graduate from engineering courses.
‘There’ll be 5,000 new engineering jobs created in Ireland this year alone. We’re currently recruiting people from overseas to fill the gaps, every single year there’s a bigger shortage of engineers going forward.’
Ultimately, as she informs the students at the Loreto, it’s about having confidence in your own ability.
‘Keep an open mind, don’t be afraid of taking the brave step, of the unknown, have confidence in your ability. If you get the points and have the right criteria to get into a third level course you can definitely come out and get a job.
‘An engineering education is basically a training for life, you may after a while decide you want to go into finance, teaching, lecturing. An engineering education is a great foundation for anything you want to do.’
Taking the students through all the different things which are engineered by men, Mary also reminded the Loreto girls that, until more women start working in the industry, they will continue to live in a world where everything, by default, is designed by men, for men.