What you know, or who you know?
This week sees the official launch of one of Oxford's newest student societies. Oxford Women in Politics will begin its first initiative on Thursday, with the creation of a wide-ranging network for female students, faculty and alumni in the political and policy worlds.
Postgraduate student Carolyn Haggis hit upon the idea of Oxford Women in Politics (OxWiP) at the beginning of Hilary this year, as a reponse to the disparate numbers of men and women within her M.Phil programme at the Department of Politics and International Relations. "I couldn't help but notice that there was a gender disparity, both in the staff members of the Department - three out of every four academic faculty members of Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations are male - and in the students who chose to pursue the M.Phil in International Relations - about two thirds of my classmates are male."
This is a disparity which is echoed throughout the University, and which is well documented by women's officers and campaigns. Even at undergraduate level, the ratio of women to men is unequal, at 47: 53. At postgraduate level the numbers take a vastly different course, and in SCRs across the university, only 20 per cent of fellows are female, leaving women heavily outnumbered by men at the highest academic levels.
Inspired by the numbers she saw even within her own department, Carolyn's research soon revealed that this problem was far from confined to the academic world. "Women comprised 18 per cent of the House of Commons in 2001. Women currently comprise 13 per cent of the US Senate and 14 per cent of the US House of Representatives. Only 19 per cent of total UK Senior Civil Service (SCS) positions are held by women; a mere 9 per cent of SCS positions in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are held by women. In short, the gender disparities in Oxford were merely a microcosm of what was, in fact, a larger problem."
It became Carolyn's goal, in setting up OxWiP, to actively provide some kind of answer to this situation: "I felt that the OxfordUniversity community was missing a society that would not only highlight and publicise this disparity, but would actively work to change it."
The name may be a little misleading: while the society may have been inspired by the inequality in the political world, it is by no means confined to those directly involved in political study, but is open to all members of the University at all levels of study and in all subjects.
It is hoped that as memership grows, so will the OxWiP network, building links between women in the university at all levels and then, as they move onwards into further careers, with the wider world.
"In a University that has a reputation for fostering an 'old boys' network, our organisation strives to highlight the impressive contributions that Oxford women are making in the political world." Despite thirty years of equal opportunities legislation, barriers for women in the workplace remain as women fail to break into the male-dominated business networks.
The initiative to be launched on Thursday will provide an antidote to this 'old boys' club.' An interactive online database will provide generations of members with the means to network with like-minded students and alumni. "Thus OxWiP's mission is a concrete one," says Caroline: "To connect generations of Oxford women and foster professionally valuable relationships and to equip the current generation of Oxford students with the professional skills necessary for successful careers." It may take some time for the network to build to critical mass, however the network will provide a unique level of contact for members, and doubtless provide a useful tool for future careers, both in and out of politics.
The OxWiP Network will be launched on Thursday, 10th June, 6-8pm at Merton's Bar
10th Jun 2004