Astronomy had a profound #MeToo moment in 2015, when I was President of the American Astronomical Society. We already knew that at our meetings, despite a long-standing anti-harassment policy advertised prominently throughout the registration process, young women were still hit on by colleagues young and old. Then came the revelations that famous professors were long-time harassers of women colleagues and students. It became clear to everyone that there is an extreme asymmetry in how young women and men experience STEM, from classes to meetings to fieldwork, and that this contributes to the dearth of women in STEM. Conditions that favor sexual harassment include strong gender asymmetry, a hierarchical workplace, and remote work sites (e.g., astronomers observing at telescopes, geologists sampling rocks, field biologists studying flora and fauna, etc.). Institutions must have rules and processes that protect trainees as readily as they protect themselves. In recent years, federal agencies have begun to recognize sexual harassment as professional misconduct, because of the central responsibility for established researchers to educate the next generation. Professional societies have also played an important role, developing robust anti-harassment policies and codes of ethics. Together, we must work urgently to stop harassment now.

Addressing sexual harassment in astronomy

ACS Fall 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.