To celebrate IWD, the WinR network will be sharing a series of blog posts written by women in research at Coventry University who’s research area lies within feminism, women, gender, gender equality, or women’s health.
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Baseerit Nissah
Baseerit is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Business and Law.
I am researching the gender pay gap phenomena and whether it can be eliminated by the implementation of transparent pay system within the organisations. Initial results from the adoption of transparent pay structure into organisation have been very positive with organisations benefiting in various dimensions such as having significantly more applications for their positions giving them access to better candidates working within their organisation. The overall motivation and job satisfaction levels has increased considerably as employees feel fairly treated and appropriately compensated for their role.
How did you end up doing what you are currently doing?
During my PhD, I had two children and just as I finished my PhD divorce happened. This meant taking a break from my research in order to focus on my children as the sole and primary carer. Now as they have grown older, I have made a return to my research journey and part of the process has been taking an assessment of my own career progression. I realise how I have been treated, by the system both at CU and within the country, less favourably relative to male-colleagues. As I began to dig-deeper, it became apparent very quickly that this is a world-wide phenomenon that has persisted over centuries despite the unprecedented advances in human race we have witnessed.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
It’s difficult to state a typical day as each day is an adventure and has its own challenges and opportunities. However, in general, I have heavy load of teaching and many student quarries both in my capacity as a module leader and progress coach lead. In addition to teaching I am involved with managing and leading
What or who inspires you in your work?
Women’s contribution to the society on daily basis which is under-stated and often overlooked.
Why do we need gender equality in research?
As an economist, the economic loss resulting from gender inequality is momentous to the society. Females make up half of the population and hence half of the workforce. Failing to provide equal opportunities to women, is failing to recognise the potential of half of the human race.
What advice do you have for fellow researchers?
We women need to work together to tackle this problem and help each other to reach our potential. We must make our voices heard and our contribution to be acknowledged and appreciated. Our role as mothers is fundamental to the existence of human race and yet, it is considered as a penalty at least in economic literature as the role of motherhood takes women’ time and focus away from her career to the upbringing of next the generation which is completely disregarded. There are some attempts in developing countries to account the women’s work at home and look after of children in the country’s GDP and giving women value for their very difficult and demanding role.
Being a mother and bringing up the next generation of human race is seen as a loss in GDP and termed as “motherhood penalty”. As a mother myself, I can say without any hesitation that my job as a mother is the hardest of them all but it is also the most rewarding of all jobs there are. We must look beyond the monetary gain we receive for our efforts to put a value on it. Wherever such a monetary tag is missing, it is missing because the monetary gain is not capable of compensating the efforts and it’s not because these efforts are worthless – they are priceless!
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Melissa Avdeeff
Melissa is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
My research is quite interdisciplinary, spanning cultural theory, media & communications, feminist theories, and musicology. What unites these areas in my work is a focus on the relationships between popular culture, technology, and sociability. Currently, I am working on two main projects: one employs CTDA (Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis) to examine how Taylor Swift’s song, “You Need To Calm Down” (2019) is being received by audiences, as seen on Twitter and TikTok. Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis seeks to both analyse the content of Tweets, in this case in relation to that particular media text, but also how the platforms themselves inform reception, as informed by wider socio-cultural systems. My research finds that although Taylor Swift intended this music video to be a form of allyship to LGBTQI communities, that message was subsequently politicized on Twitter, and depoliticized through TikTok.
My other area of research – artificial intelligence and popular music – is not an immediately obvious form of feminist research; however, as a feminist, those ideologies inform all my work, and how I approach case studies. By examining the social aspects of computational creativity, I do so through the lens of intersectionality.
How did you end up doing what you are currently doing?
I became interested in issues of gender representation during my undergraduate degree, and continued to explore this with my MA at McMaster University, where I undertook an archival study to examine the ways in which female pop musicians are represented in popular music magazines. My PhD dissertation at the University of Edinburgh examined iPod culture and sociability and I continue to combine my interests in intersectional research, popular culture, and technology in my current work.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
I would say that my day is fairly typical for a Senior Lecturer position. I spend a lot of time preparing lectures and ensuring that my students have their best experiences here at Coventry University. I also answer a lot of emails! I try to get outside and go hiking on the weekends as much as possible to help with the work/life balance.
What or who inspires you in your work?
I’m inspired by the positive uses of media and technology in our society, and seek to combat any perceived negativity that surrounds youth practices in particular. I am inspired by the creativity of young people using apps like TikTok and Instagram, and the unintended uses of technology that often impart the most creative influence and social change.
Why do we need gender equality in research?
Because as much as progress has been made, we have not reached any semblance of equality. This is, of course, often field-dependent, but elements of systemic inequality underlie all areas of research. This is not only a matter of gender equality, but also a call to combat all systems of oppression and how they manifest themselves in academia.
What advice do you have for fellow researchers?
Seek collaboration vs. competition! Create a support network, find time for coffee chats, and celebrate empathy.
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Sana Iqbal
Sana Iqbal is a Postgraduate Researcher at Coventry University.
The overall aim of my research is to analyse the impact of transport poverty on women in Karachi and to propose ways for integrating gender analysis in transport planning. The restrictions on the spatial mobility of women in a patriarchal setting not only result in substantially lower trip rates but also reduces their ability to access socio-economic capital. Mostly, I am trying to understand the factors that can help to understand the various ways women can face transport poverty.
How did you end up doing what you are currently doing?
I have personally experienced many challenges while travelling on public transport. Therefore, my research is quite close to my heart. Moreover, I have always been passionate about working on gender-relevant themes, particularly the ones related to enhancing women’s agency.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
My typical day starts with answering emails. I usually try to work on my chapters to meet the proposed timeline.
What or who inspires you in your work?
The need to address the issue of gender transport poverty itself is a motivation. This discussion is important because there are physical, financial, temporal, spatial and cultural components to mobility and by implication, full participation within society. Moreover, the need to devise contextually relevant mobility solutions keeps me motivated too.
Why do we need gender equality in research?
The transport sector in Karachi currently has 0% female representation, and this is reflected in the operation too. However, if we don’t bring gender equality in research, we cannot guarantee how these trends can ever change since the discrimination will always be overlooked.
What advice do you have for fellow researchers?
Harness each other’s potential and mobilize more women to join your cause. Collaboration is also useful since there are often other researchers who are working in the same area/ field too.
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Rosemary Cisneros
Rosa is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Dance Research.
As an artist-researcher, I enjoy combining the practical with the theoretical. My interdisciplinary way of working and creating, allows me to use dance and the arts as tools to bring attention to social and political issues. Working with vulnerable groups and using the arts and education to engage communities and participate in projects that lead to a more inclusive society, is what I am hoping to achieve with my academic research. Cultural heritage and digital technologies are also a key part of my ongoing practice.
On a macro level, I am running the EU-Funded CEF project entitled CultureMoves which looks at the intersections of dance, site, tourism and digital technologies. The Erasmus+ NEFELI, is a social inclusion project with a focus on adult education, extending and developing the competences of educators and other personnel who support adult learners. On a national level, my research activity in support of evidence-based policymaking, has led to a workshop entitled ‘Welcoming Culture in Universities- Awareness of Gypsy Roma Traveller’s culture’, and to curate an art exhibition. On a local level, I am coordinating the Dancing Bodies in Coventry, a multimedia project that aims to start to document the legacy of dance in the City of Coventry.
How did you end up doing what you are currently doing?
From a young age, I learned about social injustices and observed how some people were treated and was always saddened by this reality. I always wanted to “do” something to change this and my mother taught me education was the best way to “fight”. Having grown up with a dance practice and later studying dance, and having a professional dance career, it was a natural marriage to merge the activism with the arts.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
A typical day includes balancing being a mother of two young girls (a toddler and a newborn) and working with a group of incredible colleagues. I try to cultivate a daily yoga practice and ensure I have time to be in my body and nurture that inner voice, but some days, it is hard to honour that practice. However, my rule is to always be fully engaged in whatever I am doing- so if I am writing an email, I am 100% committed to that task and “being in the moment”.
What or who inspires you in your work?
My family and my dance practice are my sources of strength. I am inspired by interdisciplinary work and collaborative projects and modes of working. The combination of the practical and the theoretical underpins all of my research interests and I am guided by bringing people together.
Why do we need gender equality in research?
Gender equality might seem like a buzz word, but sadly there are several areas in research where gender equality is non-existent. Gender equality is needed so that everyone is allowed to be the best selves they can be. If one person or group of people is not being fully respected and honored as an equal, this results in an imbalance which means that we are not complimenting one another.
What advice do you have for fellow researchers?
There is strength in numbers!! Let’s not compete against each other but rather honour our strengths and accept our weaknesses. Working together we can better learn how we complement one another and this can foster a more cohesive, trusting, solid and creative workforce that is built on peace, equality and acceptance, rather than on greed and individualism.
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Jennifer Dudley
Jennifer is a Postgraduate Researcher in the Centre for Arts, Memory & Communities.
My doctoral research looks at women artists’ engagement with contemporary sculpture in the 1980s. The way this period of sculptural history has been institutionally written focuses largely on the New British Sculpture group of predominantly male artists. However, women were making similarly new and experimental sculptural forms during this era, though they were frequently marginalised by art’s key institutions. An examination of British exhibition histories and women-led curatorial interventions provides a methodological framework through which to explore these issues. The central aim of my work is to critique and interrupt the existing institutional narrative of art history of this era, which largely excludes the contributions of women to the development of contemporary British sculpture.
My PhD studentship is funded by Coventry University’s Centre for Arts, Memory and Communities.
How did you end up doing what you are currently doing?
To be honest, quite by accident! I took a while deciding whether/what to study at University and eventually, with the guidance of my lovely English A-Level teacher, I decided that Art History was the right course for me. She gave me my first copy of E.H Gombrich’s The Story of Art and I couldn’t help thinking “hey, where are all the women in this textbook!?”. Throughout my undergraduate degree, I was passionate about women artists and wrote most of my essays about them. I followed this with an MA in Curating and worked as a Curator for a while. At the end of a maternity cover contract I was struggling to find my next career step when the PhD studentship at Coventry came up. I hadn’t really thought about doing a PhD before, but it aligned so well with my interests and I was offered it during my interview.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
On a day when I’m working from home, I make myself a big pot of coffee, kiss my partner goodbye and get set up in our spare bedroom/office. I’m in the third year of my PhD now so most days are spent hammering on my laptop keyboard trying to get a full first draft of my thesis together.
Other days I might be zooming off to various archives or to interview women involved in the arts. My most recent interview took place on the artist’s moored houseboat which was a fun location. I also teach part time at Coventry University so you might find me preparing PowerPoints or delivering lectures. The canon of art history is generally taught in a very male (and white and European) centric way, so I always aim to address this and include women and artists of colour in my lectures.
What or who inspires you in your work?
Both of my PhD supervisors are women, which shouldn’t be unusual but up until now I’ve mainly been taught by men at university. They both inspire and encourage me to achieve my best. Prior to this I hadn’t thought I’d want a job in academia – however, they’ve been great role models to make me think twice about whether I want to continue working in a research and/or teaching capacity.
Otherwise I’m inspired by art – particularly the works of Eva Hesse, who I wrote my undergraduate dissertation about. That was my first taste of research and I really enjoyed it. I recently co-supervised a third year’s dissertation on Hesse which was a nice career moment for me.
I love visiting galleries and museums and usually leave feeling inspired in some way.
Why do we need gender equality in research?
Role models are super important – “you can’t be what you can’t see”. It’s still often the case in art schools that even though most students are women, most of their lecturers are men. When I was working as a curator the team at my level were all women, while the Head of Art and the Keeper of Art were both men. This isn’t just a coincidence!
I often feel self-conscious of being a young woman in research – worried that I don’t look enough like a researcher, that people won’t recognise me as a subject specialist or take me seriously. That’s a very damaging way to think and it absolutely comes from not seeing people like myself represented in research.
What advice do you have for fellow researchers?
It’ll be tough, but you CAN do it. I’ve dealt with imposter syndrome a lot throughout my PhD. However, my mum often reminds me “you wouldn’t be here doing it if someone didn’t know that you’re able to”. A PhD requires a lot of dedication, obsessive attention to detail, time management and passion – if you can do all of those, you can do a PhD!
Now that I’m mostly in the writing stage, I find the Pomodoro technique very effective for getting work done, interspersed with short breaks. I also know I’m most productive in the mornings so will try to get a lot done then and keep the afternoons for emails, lesson planning and other admin tasks. It’s important to have a work/life balance too, so try and have some protected relaxing time as well as protected writing time.
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Clair Dempsey
Clair is currently a Postgraduate Researcher within the Centre for Intelligent Healthcare
I’m currently designing an 8 week mindfulness-based intervention for women living with endometriosis and/or adenomyosis. There is a huge lack of support for the impact that living with these painfully debilitating conditions have on mental health. The course will be online so that it can be accessed from anywhere including the comfort of your own home. I just finished using photovoice to conduct a needs assessment. The research question was: What are the psychological needs and coping strategies of people living with endometriosis and/or adenomyosis? The data that was collected and analysed with be used to design the intervention and be threaded through the intervention. The photovoice study ended with a photography exhibition and was then turned in to a physical and online book. It can be viewed here: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/63010022/living-with-endometriosis
How did you end up doing what you are currently doing?
I lost my job due to having endometriosis and struggling to get appropriate treatment – excision surgery. I ended up returning to university to study a MSc in Applied Psychology at Coventry University. Afterwards I applied for PhD courses before being accepted to do a PhD at Coventry, which was similar to my MSc research topic of studying the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based intervention for chronic pelvic pain.
What does a typical day at work look like for you?
I try to fit my PhD into a 8.30 – 5 day. I don’t really have a typical day. Last week I spend 2.5 days at Thesis Boot Camp, today I spent catching up on emails and sending out photobooks. I even sent some to the MPs on the All Party Parliamentary Group on endometriosis, which recently launched an inquiry into the condition. As I’m in my final year my priority lies with balancing thesis writing and finishing my final study. I will be recruiting participants for the online course from the beginning of March.
What or who inspires you in your work?
I’m inspired by the thought that my research could be useful for people living with endometriosis and adenomyosis. I feel so encouraged by the response I’ve received from the endo community. A survey conducted by the BBC of over 13,000 women with endo showed that over half have considered taking their own life. I find this unacceptable, and it illustrates the huge gap in treatment and support for those living with endo. I hope my work can lead to improvements in quality of life, more support in the workplace and education and support for those that need to navigate the DWP benefits system. I have found great support and encouragement from women in research at Coventry University, two of my supervisors Dr. Liz Sparkes, Dr Faith Martin. Heather and Jennifer from RECAP. Professor Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, Javneet Ghuman, Dr. Carol Percy and Gabriela Matouskova from Hope for the Community.
Why do we need gender equality in research?
Gender equality is vital in research. Representation is so important, so many conferences and research settings can be dominated by the male voice. It’s important that women get access to opportunities that allow them to do research, to talk about their research and to highlight the work that they are doing and want to do. Women should have an equal presence and voice in every aspect of society. This should be true in every level of education, non-traditional role models need to be promoted and valued in an academic setting.
What advice do you have for fellow researchers?
Be curious about what you enjoy about research, find your passion. This is what will get you through the toughest days. Dedicate some time to cultivating and nurturing your network, in a research setting but also online. If someone’s work means something to you reach out and tell them. Imposter syndrome is very real but don’t let it hold you back: apply for funding, raise your hand at conferences, submit an abstract for oral presentation instead of poster presentation, suggest a workshop or seminar. Most importantly – look after yourself and prioritise your health and wellbeing.