Equality Experiments: A Gender Balance Assessment in Science

Greta Guarda is a full professor at the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Laboratory Director at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB). In honour of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated on 11 February, she shared her thoughts on the (lack of) gender equality achieved by women in science in an interview published in the pages of the magazine "Cooperazione".

"Awareness of this issue has grown, and newer generations are more attuned to it. For example, inviting speakers representing diversity (gender diversity in this case) to conferences sends a subtle message of equality. This familiarity helps integrate this concept into our core values. Our goal should be to eliminate the cultural stereotypes we hold, such as the one that associates women with nurses and men with doctors," explained Prof Greta Guarda.

Reflecting on her academic career, the IRB Laboratory Director recalls that she began to notice gender differences only after becoming a group leader, something that had never crossed her mind during her doctorate and in the years that followed. "At the University of Lausanne, there were only three women among the ten group leaders. At the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, we have five women out of thirteen leaders. I recall a committee at Lausanne that consisted of around thirty members, but only five of them were women. In the clinical-academic field, women in top positions remain scarce."

Professor Guarda is reluctant to justify increased female inclusion in science based on the idea that women can provide a new perspective in the field. "While there may be some differences, I find it challenging to make generalisations. Each individual is unique, and I prefer not to promote new stereotypes. For me, equality—beyond just gender equality—is a fundamental value that should not be justified by anything other than scientific understanding and strong leadership. Life consists of many facets, including professional ones, which everyone should pursue according to their inclinations.".

In conclusion, the USI professor urged young women wishing to embark on a scientific career to continue with patience "Provided this prejudice doesn't have a direct impact on significant matters, we hope we won't have to wait until we are older to be recognised".

The complete interview with Professor Greta Guarda, published in "Cooperazione", is available at the following link (p. 19).