International Women's Day 2022

#BreakTheBias #IWD2022

IWD2022

This year’s International Women’s Day has the theme #BreakTheBiasCelebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality

We all exhibit bias, whether deliberate or unconscious.  Discrimination and stereotyping can be hurtful, and damage careers and wellbeing.   The need to prioritise actions to address racism and build equitable systems for achieving racial equality, particularly focusing on the barriers facing women of colour has been highlighted by LSTM’s recent race equality report.  We know that sometimes there are other types of damaging bias including bias against people undertaking certain roles, who may find themselves at the receiving end of criticism and underappreciated for the pivotal contributions they make towards the organisation.  So, to celebrate this years International Women’s Day we invited staff to nominate the ‘unsung heroines’ of LSTM. We had an amazing response with a total of 55 staff and teams nominated by their colleagues and some wonderful messages of appreciation. You can read a selection of these nominations below

To understand more about the impacts of unconscious bias we have invited Dr Pragya Agarwal a behaviour and data scientist and founder of a research think-tank The 50 Percent Project investigating women’s status and rights around the world to talk to LSTM staff and students in the week of International Women’s Day.  Dr Agarwal will be talking to us about her recent book Sway SWAY: Unravelling Unconscious Bias

Below, you can also read the reflections from Dr Faith Aikaeli, a Clinical Research Coordinator at NIMR, Tanzania, on how she is successfully navigating the challenges of juggling a young family with a successful research career in Africa and learn how we can all do our bit to create a supportive environment for all to thrive, no matter what their circumstances.

Finally, there is an opportunity to take part in a walking tour of Liverpool to learn more about the pioneering women associated with this city.

So please read on to find more about the wonderful women of LSTM. 

Happy International Women’s Day to all!