You can access a pdf of the Survey Monkey results here all-results-oct-2016
One of the things we found most useful in both this and the 2008 survey is a detailed assessment of the comments, but this will take more time – the reason being that people really do have a lot to say!
General comments
The survey was criticized for both being too broad, and also not asking other questions particularly on sexual harassment and glass ceilings. There is a lot to disentangle in terms of what is holding the Profession back – unsurprisingly, short term contracts and moving around for jobs appears to be a very big component. Salaries are noted as being small and difficulties in affording childcare are mentioned – women see this as they are thinking about their future. What is also interesting is the huge breadth of archaeological work and the growth of the industry in terms of outreach, museums and consultancy that has happened since our last survey of 2008 (that admittedly had a much smaller response). It suggests that Archaeology is a dynamic and quickly evolving Profession that is sadly losing a lot of trained, committed and experienced people due to short term contracts and a need for mobility.
There is still an amount of sexual harassment and discrimination, although less proportionately than our last survey, probably due to an increase in survey completion. However, it is still happening, now. This isn’t something that ‘used’ to happen. On the positive side I think that it is not happening as much in the profession, as outside it – contractor staff being mentioned more than a few times. Facilities raised their heads again – toilets? seriously still talking about this?- and again PPE for women.
I realise that everyone will want more detail and it will come! Comments sometimes mention places that could be identified and this needs screening out. I also want to ensure that while overviews are given, they are properly representative of the wonderful people who gave up their time to do this. Thank you all, again.
BWA is a voluntary, non-funded group of women who are trying to highlight issues through these surveys that we hope, will stimulate people who can change things in the Profession to do exactly that. I’m working through these data and those of the 2008 and 2010 BWA surveys with Rachel Pope, writing an academic paper drawing all this together, that will hopefully be published in the next year.
All for now
Anne
If you want to cite the survey results, please use
Teather, A. and Pope, R. 2017. British Women Archaeologists’ Women and Equality Survey 2016. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33073.79202
Archaeowomen 