To combat an endemic culture of sexual and gender harassment, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its director France Córdova, PhD, enacted a new conduct policy for institutions that accept funding from the agency. The new policy dictates that awardees must disclose any finding related to harassment by the leading researchers – a move to hold scientists accountable for their personal conduct. Individuals may also report harassment directly to the NSF.
"We were raised with letting the water run off of our back," Dr. Córdova told The New York Times. "‘You're harassing me? I'm going to ignore you' … Well, enough is enough."
The impact of this policy could be far-reaching. The NSF has a $5 billion research budget, and last year distributed grants to approximately 40,000 scientists at 2,000 institutions.
In July, ASH Clinical News covered the topic of gender inequality in "Leveling the Playing Field: Can We Achieve Gender Equality in Medicine?"
Source: The New York Times, November 19, 2018.