Women In Science And Education

      In the recent past the career of smart boys and girls from intellectual families was determined from the beginning. Higher education was followed by work in one of the numerous research institutes, for scientific career was one of the few ways of more or less creative existence. By today the state of affairs has sharply changed. For one hand, a lot of other ways of self-actualization have appeared; for the other hand, the status of this kind of career has substantially decreased. Suffice it to say that average salary of a research institute staff is about 300 to 500 rubles per month. So the former senior and junior research assistants left - some migrated to business, the others abroad. But nevertheless there are real disciples of science still left. What helps them not to lose belief in their calling and follow the way once chosen? That was the subject of my conversation with the Professor of the Moscow State University, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Galina Yurievna Riznichenko.
      Galina Yurievna is the head of the association "Women in science and education" founded in 1993 on the initiative of a mathematician Irina Yaroshevskaya. Six years ago on a business trip abroad Irina happened to visit a session of the international European association "Women-mathematicians". She was hurt to find out that there wasn’t a single person from Russia there. There were women scientists from Poland, Ukraine, but no Russians. On coming back she suggested founding such an organization in our country. The first conference was attended by about 60 women from different cities. Many of the comers were skeptical at first, but even the first day of the conference happened to be so fruitful that all participants agreed to the necessity of organizing such meetings in future.
      Today the association "Women in science and education" counts more than 1000 members from 40 cities of Russia and CIS countries. There are regional departments in 12 cities. The major form of activity of the association is thematic conferences gathering women scientists from all parts of Russia. The association is organizing three conferences a year on the following themes: "Mathematics. Computer. Education", "Women mathematicians" and "Non-linear world". The participants of these conferences include scientists of different level, from graduate students to professors.

- Galina Yurievna, do women scientists have to overcome the same problems as men today, or do they meet additional difficulties?
- All our science in general is in a very difficult situation, and it is affecting men and women equally. But nevertheless gender problems have always been relevant in scientific circles, and if they seem to be less so today due to the general state of affairs it doesn’t mean they have disappeared. A woman who has chosen scientific career always has to prove to her male colleagues that she is worth attention as a scientist. For a woman it’s harder to climb up the stairs of academic degrees and titles or to get a leading position. The main reason for it is the common opinion that female mentality would not allow to achieve much in science, especially mathematics. It is absolutely wrong. Even during the time when there was heavy competition to enter the Department of Mechanics and Mathematics of the MSU and therefore very high standards for the entrants the girls made one third of the first year students. But in graduate school the ratio was already 1 girl to 9 boys. This proportion still keeps today.
      The thing is, by the time of graduation many of the students have families already, and some of them even have children. And traditionally most of child upbringing and other domestic cares are done by women. At the same time scientific career demands constant training of the mind like muscles in sport. If you fall out of it for some time it’s very hard to come back. That’s why in the West there are special professional rehabilitation programs for women who have had children. In most of the European universities there is a vice-principal for women’s affairs. We are very far from it yet. But still there are some steps done in this direction. Not long ago I was invited to work in the Expert Council for gender problems of the Russian Federation. I think it’s very important that gender problems are now discussed at the highest level, as the real democratic state should not keep silent about the problem of inequality of men and women.

- What does your Association for women scientists do specifically?
- The social status of a woman is very much determined by her professional level. Today there are a lot of programs aimed at conversion training of women where they can master "marketable" professions, small business etc. Our aim is different – we would like to give women scientists a chance not only to lose their professional status but gain it.

- What is the way to do it?
- One of the first questions for a scientist to decide is where and how to get fresh information in his area. Since the end of 1980-s the flow of data available for Russian scientists has decreased tenfold. You could object that we have the Internet now – that informational "horn of abundance". But the thing is that in the Internet you can get for free just the abstracts to articles. If you like to get the full text (and it’s always necessary when you are studying some specific problem) you have to pay. Neither the scientists themselves with their exiguous salary, nor university administrations are able to do it. If you turn to other ways of obtaining information, the situation there is not a whit better. The subscription to foreign journals has drastically decreased. The ones our large Institute of Technical-Scientific Information is subscribed to come in single copies. The problem of informational hunger is very painful even in Moscow, with nothing to say of scientists from the provinces.
      Previously any specialist could visit the capital several times a year and find the necessary data and consultations here. Now is it practically impossible due to the lack of funding. And still many people can afford to visit one of our conferences once a year. We in turn do our best for the people to get as much information as possible.

- Do you mean that taking part in your conferences promotes professional growth of the participants?
- Our conferences give unique possibilities of professional growth to many women scientists from small towns. Besides, scientific forums are a rare chance for young scientists to test their ideas in general public and hear an opinion of their colleagues. Several days ago I received a letter from a young woman, a new candidate of science. She had been coming to our conferences for three years to get consultations, made a few reports during the sessions. She wrote that her work was successful thanks to taking part in the conferences. And that woman is not the only example.
      Our psychological co-operation is also a very important factor. The social circle of scientists and educators is a specific and rather isolated group. The problems which are disturbing for us are often obscure even for the family members. And our conferences unite the people who are spiritually close to each other and allow them to discuss their "intimate" problems in the language they all know. Our lady scholars visit each other to read lectures. Some of them send their students to graduate schools of other institutes.
      The general tone of our conferences is optimism and unity. We try not to make play with the darker side of life; for us it’s most important to convince women scientists that Russian science is still alive in spite of anything.

- Do you keep in touch with western organizations of this kind?
- We work in close co-operation with the French association "Women-mathematicians". In December 1996 there was the first Russian-French seminar in Marseilles under the guidance of UNESCO. 12 our delegates took part in its work. Many of the French scientists, in turn, became constant visitors of our conferences. Besides, we regularly take part in the All-European forums of "Women-mathematicians". Due to these international contacts many women from our association have got the possibility to work in leading western universities as trainees.

- Does the Association have any other activities but the conferences?
- One of the programs of our association is creating a Fund of computer educational systems. Its author is Irina Victorovna Gorskaya, professor of the Applied Mathematics and Cybernetics Department of the MSU. The Fund helps teachers master and use in their work various computer programs. Any person who is interested can get the programs from the Fund collection by e-mail and also send his article or an educational program to the Fund.
      Our regional departments develop and realize their own programs in their areas. For instance, Cheboksar department organizes summer camps and Olympiads for schoolchildren. The members of our Association in Voronezh realize the programs of small business for women. And the members of Saratov department are concentrated on taking part in women’s movement. Together with the "Soldiers’ Mothers" Committee they insisted on all recruits doing their military service only in Saratov region.

- Galina Yurievna, what does the Association "Women in Science and Education" mean for you personally?
- Of course I participate in the Association’s activities to the detriment of my scientific work and teaching. But nevertheless our union of women-mathematicians is one of the most important matters for me, because if we don’t save the Russian scientific society today nobody will need my work tomorrow. I believe it to be my duty to take part in its survival. We are speaking not only of the fate of science here but of Russian intelligentsia cultural traditions as a whole. The power of Russian intelligentsia has always been in its covering a substantial "layer" of freethinking people concerned with the fate of their country. Intelligentsia was actively expressing its moral, cultural, and ethical positions and thus influenced other groups of the society including the government. Just remember the "60-s" movement which was the base for democratic reforms of the 80-s. But, alas, public consciousness has undergone radical changes in the recent years. The priorities of Russian people have changed from well-being of the society to personal enrichment. From this point of view the intelligentsia’s call to some higher spiritual values is ridiculous. Due to objective reasons very few intellectuals stayed in Russia. Some emigrated to the West, others fell for the bait of easy money. But the ones who stayed do what they can to preserve the real cultural values, the highest of which has always been public spirit in its best sense.

Interviewed by Anna Vasilyeva