I wish to endorse the issues Sara MacKian raised
on this forum yesterday about the unwillingness of RGS-IBG
to embrace equal opportunities. This is apparent in terms of
persisitent gender inequality and failure to recognise
current DDA policy.
Just for the record, I approached the conference organisers back in
January about the lack of any reference to creche provision/ point of
contact on the web-site. Not only did I wish to make use of creche
facilities myself, I wanted to make the case for this need to be
addressed as a matter of course, speaking on behalf of the Women and
Geography Research Group. The conference organisers
(specifically Lorraine Craig) were sympathetic but ultimately
market-driven in their response. Mine was apparently the only formal
request for child-care (for which I was quite prepared to
pay the going rate). I tried to point out that demand was doubtless
latent: by privately overcoming the obstacles of travelling away from
home, giving out of hours seminars and fitting an impossibly large
volume of work into the 'working week', we are all effectively
perpetuating this discrimination. It's time to beat the drum on this!
I know many dual-career same-discipline academic couples who
routinely have to trade conference participation because both can't
be away from home at the same time. The single parent does not face
this problem of being the sacrificial spouse - they just don't get to
attend any event falling out of 9 to 5 access to day-care
in their home-town.
While I can just about accept the drive for 'competitiveness' as an
argument why the annual conference might wish to show-case the great
and the good in academic geography, I do not accept the
'financial bottom line' as a decent case for perpetuating
discrimination on any grounds. Yes, Sarah Batterbury might be right
to note more women at conference - but at what private cost.
I find it depressing that WGRG had to fight (and lose) such
basic battles in 2003 - and in national work-life balance week to
boot!
Dr Helen Jarvis
University of Newcastle,
School of Geography, Politics and Sociology,
Daysh Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
Tel: 0191 222 6959; Fax 0191 222 5421
For latest development on the US-UK Working Families Project:
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/geps/research/geography/uk-us/index.htm
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