Doing Science as a Woman: Voices from Serbian Astrophysics

• In Event: Disrupting from the Inside: Towards a Research System Change - I

Abstract

The paper explores work experiences of female astrophysicists in contemporary Serbia. Belgrade Astronomical Observatory (AOB) is the leading institution for astronomy and astrophysics in the country and the workplace for most of Serbia’s astronomers. Women make roughly half of the scientists working at AOB; they are present at all seniority levels in the institution and hold significant research positions. Does this imply equality? The picture is more complex; what is considered power and influence in this context escapes typical parameters used in Western studies to access issues of inequality.

The paper, based on ethnographic field research done at AOB between 2015 and 2018, focuses on women’s experiences in the workplace and gendered aspects of doing science as a woman in Serbia. What makes a “proper” female scientist in Serbia? How are women expected to be different in their research and life compared to their male colleagues? As the informants reveal, there are numerous situations that expose gender inequality and power imbalance in Serbian science. On the other hand, it is undeniable that women in Serbia are present in STEM fields in large numbers, and that many of them report high satisfaction with their work and treatment that they receive. The paper explores these complexities in the context of Yugoslav socialism, Serbian post-socialism and local understanding of gender roles.

Author

• Mirjana Uzelac, University of Alberta