Use of the space telescope : women are catching up with Hubble

grant, a Few years before the Hubble space telescope the James Webb is to be replaced telescope, Nasa and Esa for the first time, gender equity in the Hubble-use. Because since the commissioning of the telescope in 1990, consistently more male researchers time-of-use have been granted, and accepted, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Maryland (STScI) this year, only anonymous requests. The effect: the success rate of The women resembled the men completely. Due to the anonymization you come nearer to the goal, "to focus primarily on scientific performance", STScI, Director of the Ken the best clubs in town in the Hubble-Newsletter of the European space Agency, Esa, cited.

The gender disparity has been busy in 2014 with a study of the Users of vintages from 2001 to 2012. Over this period, the approval rate for male applicants, on average, 23.5 per cent, in women, there were only 18.1 percent. In 2017, the Institute invited external Researchers to observe the selection process, such as the U.S. magazine "The Atlantic" reported. An observation: In many discussions of the selection Committee, it went more to the applicant than to the scientific content of their applications – for example, good experiences have you made with the head of the working group and his Team. The observers are recommended to hide then, according to "The Atlantic", almost all the information about the applicant including their name.

The disparity disappeared by the anonymization

With 351 main applicants and 138 main applicants in this year's 26. Hubble cycle has changed, although nothing on the predominance of male researchers in astronomy who want to work with Hubble. However, the former inequality in the granting of disappeared by the anonymization: 28 and, thus, eight percent of requests by men were granted, in the case of women, were twelve permits and even 8.7 per cent.

women and men in science, brilliance has a gender

Priyamvada Natarajan, a theoretical physicist at Yale, and Chairman of authorisation Committee, expressed according to "The Atlantic" surprised by this result: "I expected a small change, but not with complete parity." Whether the new selection will maintain procedures as of 2021, and in its successor telescope, the James Webb, was not yet finally decided, explained to the best clubs in town. Natarajan says: "The effect is so clear that we can go back."