On the occasion of International Women's Day (8/3) and International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11/2), CU Point together with the Equal Opportunities Council organized a Women in Science debate evening on 8 March 2023 at the Campus Hybernská. In the beginning, the member of the Rector's Board for Social Affairs and Sustainable Development PhDr. Ing. Marie Vymazalová, Ph.D. greeted all participants. Then, the documentary Picture a scientist was shown, which captures the work problems of the generation of women who built their careers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1990s, but also the problems of contemporary female scientists of different skin color.
In the follow-up debate chaired by the chairwoman of the Council for Equal Opportunities, doc. Věra Sokolova, Ph.D., foreign female workers and students from different faculties and parts of Charles University introduced themselves. These were nineteen ladies of different nationalities and from different research fields. The hottest topics were sexual abuse, unequal treatment, hepeating, and the impact of motherhood on women's careers. More general problems were also discussed, such as the differences in remuneration between the fields of humanities and science or the language barrier that all foreigners living in the Czech Republic face. In the end, the present Czech and foreign students were also involved in the debate.
The Faculty of Pharmacy was the most represented of all faculties. Four foreign workers PharmDr. Rona Karahoda, Ph.D., Dr. Cilia Lourdes Abad Marcano, Ghada Basem Bouz, Ph.D., and Ivone Cristina Igreja e Sá, M.Sc., Ph.D. participated in the debate very actively and highlighted the positive aspects of their workplace. The Faculty of Pharmacy represents a sufficiently friendly environment for women according to their opinions, it offers financial support for workers at the beginning of their careers or after maternity/parental leave, as well as a children's group for their offspring. This climate certainly reflects the feminization of the field of pharmacy, but also the necessity of functional collaboration in scientific teams.
Additional congratulations to all women on this feast and thanks to their loved ones who support them in their careers!
Text: PharmDr. Marta Kučerová, Ph.D.
Photos: PharmDr. Marta Kučerová, Ph.D., Jan Kolský