Project promises support for women researchers

Three colleagues from the University of Northampton have launched a project which aims to support women academics engaged in research.

Supporting Women’s Writing in the Time of COVID-19 will address systemic barriers to women academics’ research and writing.

The project is led by Dr Rachel Moss (pictured left), Lecturer in History, Dr Sonya Andermahr (pictured right), Reader in English, and Dr Phillippa Bennett (centre), Senior Lecturer in English.

Dr Moss said: “Women at all stages of their career typically carry both a higher burden of care in their home environments (childcare, elder care, a greater share of domestic labour) and are statistically much more likely to take on additional pastoral and administrative burdens than their male peers. This means they are less likely to produce research outputs necessary for career advancement. Meanwhile, recent research demonstrates that women’s research capacity has additionally been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.”

The project aims to improve the environment for women academics at the University of Northampton by creating supportive spaces for them to develop their writing practice, and by identifying and targeting systemic barriers within the institution to their research process. The project has two related strands: helping women develop their own writing practice within a community of other women researchers, and identifying wider systemic barriers to research progress and outputs at the University.

Further details about the project, and how UON colleagues can get involved, will be released in early 2021.