Survey reveals 17% gender pay gap and strain on industry at a time when it has been at the forefront of responding to coronavirus Nearly one in five scientists in Australia are planning to leave the profession permanently which also reveals a 17% gender pay gap among those who responded The survey, based on answers from 1,464 scientists, provides an insight into challenges in the science workforce at a time when it has been at the forefront of responding to Covid-19 but has also come under intense strain. Read moreProfessional Scientists Australia – one of the two professional organisations that carried out the research – said the results “deepened concerns that the impact of the Covid-19 health crisis will further exacerbate” the underrepresentation of women in science and mathematics (Stem) fields and the gender pay gap Conducted in May with Science & Technology Australia the survey found almost one in five respondents indicated they intended to leave the profession permanently – but this sentiment was more pronounced among women The proportion of respondents planning to leave the science workforce permanently was 21.7% among women compared with 15.7% among men “Female respondents more commonly cited lack of recognition or opportunities lack of career advancements and parenthood as reasons for considering permanently leaving the profession than their male counterparts,” said a report by the two groups that represent scientists and technologists across Australia The report also said female scientists who responded to the survey earned on average 82.9% of male respondents’ earnings It attributed this gap to a mix of factors including women’s concentration in less-senior roles and the science workforce having fewer women than men aged over 40 said last week was her final week in her role “I am one of those people who has made the change now – I’m going to join the union movement and hopefully continue to advocate for women in Stem although I feel a little guilty actually being one of the people who’s leaving,” the embryologist told Guardian Australia “I found initially I was able to manage continuing my career with having children but as my children got older the sort of work-family conflict increased and I think that was probably more when they started school.” Science could be “very black and white” with “quite rigid structures” “If you put an experiment or something in to incubate overnight you have to be there in the morning to get it and when that combined with the school schedule things were getting really difficult for me to manage.” Jack said she had looked into changing to business side of operations When she looked for opportunities outside the fertility business Jack said she did not think the gender pay gap was intentional “We’re certainly paid the same for the same job – but I think perhaps the males with less family pressures are able to progress into those higher up positions more easily,” she said you’re potentially seen as not taking your career as seriously.” Jack added: “A lot of fertility scientists were stood down during the pandemic and I think spending time at home gave people a really clear chance to think about what they wanted.” agreed that when female scientists reached a certain level in their career they often found limited opportunities for advancement and access to increased pay “It’s not surprising that a high number of women compared with men were planning to leave the industry,” Havelberg said The chief executive of Professional Scientists Australia said the report confirmed that teaching more girls and women Stem skills and increasing the number of female graduates was not enough to solve the problem “Future Stem strategies must focus on improving the participation and retention of women at the workplace level,” McCabe said in a statement The chief executive of Science & Technology Australia said Australia could not afford to lose the wealth of talent in science “With the world’s hopes pinned on scientists to find us a way out of the pandemic the value of science has never been clearer – yet our scientists don’t always feel that recognition,” she said Schubert urged Australians to tweet a shoutout to an Australian scientist this week using the #CelebrateAScientist hashtag Scott Morrison is due to announce the prime minister’s prizes for science on Wednesday The report said the survey’s timing in May meant it captured only the initial impact of the pandemic on wages – with salaries likely to be hit over the coming 12 months The May exercise found base salaries for full-time professional scientists surveyed grew by 2.2% on average over the previous year – but one in four respondents had not had a pay increase over that time Preliminary results from the same survey, released in August, showed the sector had been under strain during the pandemic due to job cuts, pay freezes, changes to work roles, and the impact of juggling working from home while caring for children. Read moreThe findings come amid thousands of job losses across Australian universities which have seen revenue plummet due to the loss of international students and an inability to access the government’s jobkeeper wage subsidy This month’s federal budget included an extra $1bn for university research to forestall damage to the sector caused by the drop-off in international students The budget papers argued the investment would “help avoid lasting damage to the research sector argued the $1bn was “backing our best and brightest minds whose ideas will help drive our recovery” Some medieval figures were carved with open mouths IN THE polarised religious climate of the Protestant Reformations in Europe late-medieval sculpted images were controversial objects — to be reviled or venerated Viewed by orthodox Roman Catholics or Reformers they were regarded as either devotional or idolatrous their viewing audience either pious or superstitious and credulous Late-medieval religious images were not just objects of veneration Nowhere is this more in evidence than in figures carved as if arrested mid-speech: “speaking” sculptures The illusion of speech can enhance a narrative sequence such as cries or groans eliciting empathy and devotion But it also connects with specific liturgical texts and practices which the theme of the annunciation neatly demonstrates The alabaster relief of the Annunciation in Havelberg Cathedral and is placed in the Marienkapelle on the north side of the cathedral next to the cloister the participants act out their parts — but they also speak their lines would be obvious and familiar to all: since the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 this was one of the key elements of the catechism the very act of recognising the scene and supplying the words of the Ave Maria would draw visitors to the cathedral into this pious practice This principle is made explicit in a famous fresco by Fra Angelico (c.1440-45) It bears a Latin inscription that translates roughly as: “When you pass the image of the Virgin do not forget to say a Hail Mary.” Through the open-mouth motif rather than a cumbersome inscription (accessible only to the literate) a speaking sculpted Annunciation also invited a wider public to supply the well-known words prompting recitation as effectively as Fra Angelico’s painting did for the Dominican inmates at San Marco There is a clear rationale for evoking the voice in the other two key players the verbal assent of the Annunciate Virgin was considered performative in the conception of the Christ-child by medieval thinkers such as Ludoph of Saxony as was the performative Word of God himself For the Premonstratensians (the order active at Havelberg) the image may have held an additional exhortation to praise; for the Annunciation was traditionally associated with matins and our mouths shall show forth (annunciabit) thy praise.” The Apostles’ Creed presented other articles of faith and all were supposed to memorise and recite it daily Sculpted series of the Twelve Apostles frequently bear scrolls on which their creed is or was inscribed one clause per apostle as devised by St Ambrose (c.339-c.397) Almost as common are sculpted apostle series where one or more figures were shown in active recitation — again where the illusion of speech stands in for scrolls and inscriptions The small alabaster St Philip of c.1430 by the so-called Rimini Master comes from a rank of 12 apostles from a crucifixion altarpiece imported from Northern Europe and installed in the Church of Santa Maria della Grazie Probably originally placed at the eye level of the officiating priest this vocal figure echoes the creed that might be said in prime and compline Other speaking apostles were to be found in the public arena or on the pillars of the nave of great churches Through the speech motif and its widely understood significance these speaking-apostle statues invited the general congregation to summon the creed to mind and offered the illusion of participating in its recitation late Gothic statues of John the Baptist frequently represent him as arrested in mid-speech The famous 1438 wooden statue of John the Baptist by Donatello both “speaks” and carries a scroll with his text inscribed: “Ecce Agnus This leaves no doubt that the words viewers are intended to hear are John’s signature speech at Christ’s baptism (St John 1.29) The spoken words serve as a clear attribute of John the Baptist They also carry a liturgical significance; for John’s speech is also evoked in the Agnus Dei of the mass: a text familiar even to those unable to read or understand Latin Jonathan Evens views an exploration by Saad Qureshi in Nottingham THE carved wooden crucifix placed over the high altar in St Michael’s and offers the illusion of communicating with viewers below through both fixed gaze and the suggestion of speech or sound: his mouth is open so wide that the teeth can be seen This might be viewed as an affective image suggesting a groan of agony or Christ’s harrowing final cry before death; but the Latin inscription winding in and out of view along the border of Christ’s loincloth provides the clue to an alternative four of Christ’s last speeches on the cross are transcribed: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”; “Father into thy hands I commend my spirit”; “It is finished”; and “My God why hast thou forsaken me?” These barely legible texts surely provide the key to understanding what Erhart intended Christ’s open mouth may as easily be construed as speaking these last words and prompting viewers below to supply and meditate on his words on the cross from their reserves of memory IN HIS remarks on the usefulness of artistic images 540-604) infers a rational function and intelligent viewers albeit unlettered: “For what writing makes present to those reading the same picturing makes present to the uneducated to those perceiving visually” (translation: Mary Carruthers) Gregory’s understanding of art as a “Bible of the Poor” was not exclusively or even primarily didactic: it is not easy to decipher a visual narrative unless you know the story already for a popular audience already familiar with the stories religious imagery can appeal not just to the emotions refreshing the memory and offering scope for reflection and contemplation The illusion of speech in sculpture may be understood to operate in a very similar way It is up to an attentive audience to decipher what the speech might be and to supply the words from their catechism Although there was — and is — nothing to prevent individuals from indulging in flights of imagination of dubious orthodoxy many of the “speaking” statues evoked texts that were so well known there was little danger of deviation Had sculptors and patrons lacked confidence in the audience’s ability to make these connections there would have been no point in attempting the technical challenge of simulated speech at all This confidence undermines the trope of the ignorant and uneducated common folk with which modern believers tend to populate the Middle Ages Speaking sculptures suggest that we may have underestimated the capacity of late-medieval congregations might perhaps be missing something that to them was obvious and mystery plays were the ways in which the late-medieval public became familiar with biblical narratives and texts A stone statue ofSt Mary Magdalene is placed on the jamb of the right doorway in the Havelberg choir screen not far from where the central parish altar used to be She is represented holding her ointment pot and with mouth wide open as if speaking loudly addressing not the Premonstratensian choir behind her gathered either for services at the parish altar or a wider public visiting for annual feasts Her presence disrupts the sequence of apostles (some of them “speaking”) otherwise dividing the screen’s relief scenes of the Passion of Christ. This, as well as the prominent speech motif, cannot be a random anomaly. The space in front of the choir screen was used to enact a liturgical drama of the resurrection early each Easter Day As the first to encounter Christ after the resurrection and it was she who uttered the key word of recognition: “Rabboni” This is surely what we hear from the carved Mary Magdalene who served as a permanent reminder through the year of that dramatic moment in the Easter liturgy for the many who had witnessed it in person These speaking images make demands on viewers but offer by way of reward a sense of direct a sense of being drawn into a shared speech Sculpture was capable of exerting a performative power that far exceeded two-dimensional painting — something that iconoclastic reformers understood all too well All that viewers needed was the eyes to hear Woods’s Speaking Sculptures in Late Medieval Europe: A silent rhetoric was published this month by Lund Humphries at £60 (Church Times Bookshop £54); 978-1-84822-673-9 Nicholas Reed Langen examines the Supreme Court ruling on gender Read reports from issues stretching back to 1863 search for your parish or see if any of the clergy you know get a mention Explore the archive We are a partnership of six diverse and welcoming congregations in the northern districts of Milton Keynes offering a rich tapestry of worshipping traditions – Anglican is seeking to appoint an Associate Priest to join our ministry team God has a future for our churches and we are seeking an Interim Minister to join us as we discover the shape this should take Non-subscribers can read four articles for free each month Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time Women have done an even greater share of the housework than men during the coronavirus pandemic and people working from home are feeling more lonely and anxious because of the social isolation and job insecurity Three new research studies have identified the pros and cons of working from home The benefits include greater productivity without lost commuting time But those with family responsibilities were struggling to juggle them while working from home and many were missing social interaction with their colleagues University of Sydney researcher Alison Williams has been working from home and enjoying the company of her dog University of Sydney researcher Alison Williams has been working from home since March and says it has its "positives and negatives" She has enjoyed having more time to walk her dog without a two-and-a-half-hour daily commute to and from work "I've done plenty of walking the dog and doing an online pilates class before work which I couldn't do before COVID - so that's a positive," she said "When my daughter and her boyfriend lived here they were working on the dining room table with four computer monitors and I was in the study "Now they have moved out it's a bit lonely being the only one here during the day and night "You don't have that day to day contact with your colleagues and those incidental conversations." Ms Williams said she would like to go back to work for the social interaction but also felt "resentful'' at the prospect of adding the travel time again to her day and losing the flexibility of working from home ''What would be ideal would be a combination," she said University of Melbourne researchers Lyn Craig and Brendan Churchill surveyed more than 2700 Australians in May and found that during the coronavirus lockdown men spent 40 minutes more doing housework while for women it was one hour "Men were doing more in the home but women were doing even more than they had been before," Professor Craig said The research to be published next month also found that many people felt less stressed about time management because they were not commuting Another survey of more than 1400 Australian scientists conducted by Professional Scientists Australia (PSA) and Science and Technology Australia to be released on Wednesday also found that there was a high level of anxiety among scientists about losing their job PSA chief executive officer Gordon Brock said the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in pay cuts for one in 20 scientists and many job losses “Coupled with the professional challenges of the pandemic this lack of job security meant that one in four scientists reported that anxiety and mental distress due to the pandemic was affecting their ability to work,” he said “Around one in five scientists said caring for children and home schooling had reduced their ability to work." Brisbane scientist Katie Havelberg says there are positives and negatives to working from home Brisbane medical scientist Katie Havelberg said she worked one week at home and one week in a laboratory on a rotating roster She said it was difficult not having people around because her job relied on collaboration with other scientists "We are quite social creatures," she said "The downsides are working all day and not having a split between work and home life." Researchers at the universities of East Anglia and Greenwich in England and Auckland University of Technology have also published a study involving 29 workers from numerous countries including New Zealand and Australia They found working remotely and relying on online communication "had a near-equal mix of positive and negative implications for team collaboration particularly in terms of knowledge-sharing director of the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute said Zoom meetings were a convenient substitute for personal interaction ''but are definitely inadequate and do not provide the full benefits of teamwork and in-person interactions'' I think most of the increase in work from home we have seen during the pandemic will be unwound once it is safe to go back to group workplaces," he said Get our Coronavirus Update newsletter for the day's crucial developments and the numbers you need to know. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here and The Age's here University of Sydney researcher Alison Williams has been working from home since March and says it has its \\\"positives and negatives\\\" \\\"I've done plenty of walking the dog and doing an online pilates class before work which I couldn't do before COVID - so that's a positive,\\\" she said \\\"When my daughter and her boyfriend lived here they were working on the dining room table with four computer monitors and I was in the study \\\"Now they have moved out it's a bit lonely being the only one here during the day and night \\\"You don't have that day to day contact with your colleagues and those incidental conversations.\\\" Ms Williams said she would like to go back to work for the social interaction but also felt \\\"resentful'' at the prospect of adding the travel time again to her day and losing the flexibility of working from home ''What would be ideal would be a combination,\\\" she said \\\"Men were doing more in the home but women were doing even more than they had been before,\\\" Professor Craig said \\u201CCoupled with the professional challenges of the pandemic this lack of job security meant that one in four scientists reported that anxiety and mental distress due to the pandemic was affecting their ability to work,\\u201D he said \\u201CAround one in five scientists said caring for children and home schooling had reduced their ability to work.\\\" \\\"We are quite social creatures,\\\" she said \\\"The downsides are working all day and not having a split between work and home life.\\\" They found working remotely and relying on online communication \\\"had a near-equal mix of positive and negative implications for team collaboration director of the Centre for Future Work at the Australia Institute said Zoom meetings were a convenient substitute for personal interaction ''but are definitely inadequate and do not provide the full benefits of teamwork and in-person interactions'' I think most of the increase in work from home we have seen during the pandemic will be unwound once it is safe to go back to group workplaces,\\\" he said Get our Coronavirus Update newsletter for the day's crucial developments and the numbers you need to know. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald's newsletter here and The Age's here Learn more about South Australia's new university for the future Local knowledge and long career experience in regional South Australia will be a distinct asset for the new manager of UniSA’s Whyalla campus.  Paul Havelberg has just been appointed to the new position in Whyalla and will move from his current role at Edward John Eyre High School (EJEHS) in March where he has been principal for the past six years A Bachelor of Science with a Graduate Diploma in Education from Flinders University Havelberg has had almost 30 years’ experience as an educator in the State’s rural and regional communities starting with his first role as a teacher and coordinator at Orroroo Area School At EJEHS he has led strategies to improve both completions and grades for year 12 students and increase the number of students qualifying for tertiary entry Another key goal has been to increase enrolments for Aboriginal students and improve school attendance “My focus has been to improve outcomes and educational opportunities for all of our students but also to build confidence in our teaching staff and foster a culture of excellence and quality for the entire school community,” he says Havelberg has been proactive developing important links between the school and training colleges tertiary institutions and community groups including serving as Chair of the Eyre and Western Trade Schools Governance Group a member of the Upper Spencer Innovative Community Action Networks management committee and the Eyre and Western Region Principal representative of the State wide Senior Secondary Curriculum Reference Group Havelberg says he is excited to be taking on his new challenge in Whyalla with the University of South Australia “The role will provide important opportunity to increase and enhance educational opportunities for students in the region – to take students to the next step and launch valuable careers,” he says “UniSA’s Whyalla campus is hugely significant in South Australia not only for what it offers students but for what it represents for regional communities in providing tertiary education opportunities on their home turf.    “Having a university in Whyalla makes achieving a university degree a much more tangible idea for students it is a focus for aspiration and that is an important symbol in the community.  I look forward to working with the team here in Whyalla and across the University to ensure Whyalla continues to play an important role in Education for this region.”  Media contact: Michèle Nardelli office: +61 8 8302 0966 mobile: 0418 823 673 email: michele.nardelli@unisa.edu.au UniSA champion of multiculturalism takes out top SA Governor award First Nations language celebrated at Kaurna Day with new songbook Trailblazing UniSA programs take out national awards 08 8302 2376 >Ask UniSA FAQs >Australian contact details +61 8 8302 0114 >Ask UniSA FAQs >International contact details 1300 301 703 >Ask UniSA FAQs >Campus Central contact details >Research degree student support >Key UniSA contacts >Staff Directory UniSA respectfully acknowledges the Kaurna Boandik and Barngarla First Nations Peoples and their Elders past and present who are the First Nations’ Traditional Owners of the lands that are now home to our campuses in Adelaide IT is not often that a sibling is the most influential person on an umpire’s career to date but it is Patrick Burn’s brother Matthew who got him to take up umpiring From there Patrick gave up his playing career and stuck at umpiring for the fitness Patrick is one of the new Victorian appointed Rookie umpires for Season 2017 His background includes five years at the EDFL from 2008-2012 before he was invited to trial with the VFL in 2013 Patrick was promoted to the VFL Senior list in 2014 and umpired his 50th VFL Senior game in 2016 He has also umpired three grand finals – the TAC Cup grand final in 2014 and 2015 and the Development League grand final in 2016 Whilst having umpired three grand finals with the VFL his career highlight to date was umpiring the B Grade senior grand final in 2011 with his brother Matthew and ex-VFL umpire Adam Havelberg Andrew Coates has played a significant role in Patrick’s development as an umpire Another person to help shape Patrick’s umpiring career has been AFL Field Umpire Brendan Hosking Patrick is motivated by wanting to be the best he can be physically and in umpiring and is keen to see how far he can go Patrick’s advice is to be relentless and never settle for mediocrity Patrick is a barista by trade and also works at Vans as a sales assistant He is looking forward to the year ahead and the exposure to AFL coaching and training and to being part of the AFL match day experience