How Can We Make Scientific Events More Inclusive? Insights From Q&A Sessions and Surveys From an International...

Area of Science:

• Ethology
• Behavioral Science
• Scientific Communication

Background:

• Despite increased focus on researcher diversity, significant barriers to inclusion and equity persist within scientific communities and academic conferences.
• Gender disparities are particularly evident in scientific discourse, including question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions at conferences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gender disparities in Q&A sessions at the 37th International Ethological Congress, "Behaviour 2023".
• To explore broader equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) issues at academic conferences using surveys.
• To experimentally test methods for reducing gender disparity in scientific conference Q&A sessions.

Main Methods:

• Observational and experimental behavioral data collection during Q&A sessions.
• Surveys administered to conference attendees to assess perceptions of gender and EDI.
• Experimental manipulation to test the impact of session host interventions on question-asking behavior.

Main Results:

• Attendees perceived as women asked fewer questions than those perceived as men, primarily because they initiated questions less frequently.
• Self-reported comfort for women asking questions increased with gender representation and smaller session sizes, though this was not observed in behavioral data.
• Actively selecting perceived women to initiate Q&A did not mitigate the observed gender disparity in question-asking.

Conclusions:

• Gender disparities in question-asking at scientific conferences are complex and not easily resolved by simple host interventions.
• Underrepresented minorities perceive EDI issues as more severe, despite reporting similar overall congress experiences.
• Recommendations are provided for creating more inclusive scientific events and fostering equitable participation.