A set of guiding questions on International Working Women’s Day: Women in Academia

a)In the panels, keynotes and seminars that you have at conferences, are you actively advocating for women speakers? Depending on the context, also consider, if your panel just comprises Savarna and/or white women? What would you to do to change that beyond just representation? Are you only inviting speakers who already deliver 20 keynotes every year? Consider thinking of upcoming and early career scholars too.

Refuse to be a part of manels. And if you are transphobic, you ain’t going to be a part of my space.

b) Who are you citing? Who is part of your scholarly networks? If you are only citing the “BIG NAMES”, rethink your citation politics.

Citation impacts early career scholars for a lot of things, including tenure, promotion and even visa.

I once had a Reviewer 1 telling me why I cited an MA thesis and did not cite Scholar Y (I think scholar Y was the Reviewer 1 and showed themselves out). That MA thesis is a very important scholarly contribution by a Black Feminist scholar.

Don’t be Reviewer 1

c) This is for Dudebros in Indian Academia: What do you get out of designating cis-men scholars as “The Man, The Myth, The Legend” ? May be an invitation to an edited collection of essays that they will edit. May be, time to rethink your biases. And those who happily accept these tags, I see you too.

d) WOMEN, I WANT YOU ALL TO SCREAM ABOUT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FROM ROOFTOPS. IF YOU DONT, I WILL.

Who are most vocal in sharing their accomplishments? May be, there is a study somewhere.

e) When it comes to mentorship, it is heavily gendered. What institutional changes and departmental norms will you advocate for to ensure equity in the labor of mentorship?

f) Are you folks still commenting on fashion, weight, marriage/live-in relationships, decision to have/not have a child of your women colleagues? Get a life!