A Sticky Pipeline: Why So Few Women of Science at the Top?

About this video

Prof Kim explores how to ‘fix the numbers’ of women in science at the decision making and leadership levels in Korea. The ‘pipeline’ that delivers scientific talent at each stage does not only leak, it also sticks: for women.  For women the main issue is the small proportion of women as decision makers. For men, the issue is the too small pool of women researchers. Men also see women as less competent researchers. High achievers blame the ‘loss’ of women on the demanding nature of science work and the issues for women to combine maternity and science. Women see men being favoured because of their military experience, which counts towards perceptions of seniority in relation to professional advancement. Women also tend to see their jobs as ‘the second’ bread winner.

About the presenter

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Prof. So Young Kim
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Director of the Korea Policy Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (KPC4IR) and the Project Coordinator of the Establishment of Kenya KAIST Project.

Prof. So Young Kim is the Director of the Korea Policy Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (KPC4IR) and the Project Coordinator of the Establishment of Kenya KAIST Project. She received the B.A. and M.A. from Seoul National University and Ph.D. from Northwestern University with Fulbright Scholarship. As the former head of the KAIST Graduate School of Science, Technology, and Policy, Prof. Kim led or advised large-scale S&T policy programs on R&D funding, S&T workforce policy, science-based ODA, and the governance of emerging technologies. Prof. Kim is currently serving as the Chair of the Science and Diplomacy Committee of Korea Federation of S&T Associations, the Director of the Policy Institute of Korea Women’s Federation of S&T Associations, and the Co-Representative of the Citizen Coalition for Scientific Society, the largest citizen group for S&T promotion in South Korea. As a public intellectual, she has served numerous committees of government ministries including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. She also served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Councils as well as on the Advisory Panel of the Institute for Public Understanding of Risk of the National University of Singapore.

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