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IZOLDA TAKÁCS: THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
it is quite simple, I always tell my male peers to nominate women too, this is the only
solution, this is what we’ve got. (Subject no. 7, natural sciences)
According to them, the low ratio of women at the Academy can primarily
remain — and the existing inequality can reproduce itself — because these
positions have traditionally always been reserved for men, who are constantly
re-electing each other in most positions (especially in leadership roles).
This group also included those few female scholars who think a woman
quota based on merit could also prove to be a solution (as opposed to the oth¬
ers, see also the dual division above). They state that this particular tool of
positive discrimination could be necessary to avoid scientists who are fit to be
academicians crumbling away solely because they are biologically women, and
also because the regulations of the institutions are still based on the tradition¬
al male-female differences — even if only in an indirect manner -, like the
electoral system of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. They have primarily
argued that, as the male-female family roles are unequal, women have a dis¬
advantage by default, and this inequality of opportunities needs to be mitigat¬
ed with some kind of a legal move regulated from the top.
Men and women are not equal due to childbirth being the task of a woman, which
by extension means the pregnancy period and taking care of the newborn. This
makes it so unjust — I mean, speaking about scholars in general -, so this is an
absolutely unjust situation, and there is no way to think that if one doesn’t take any
action, some kind of justice will somehow emerge. These young women who are very
interested in the scientific career but also very much want to have a family need to
be assisted somehow. After all, this is normal, right? (Subject no. 3, natural sciences)
And what I see is actually that there is a young woman with a child, starting with
her career, which is all right in itself. The trouble starts when she is appointed with
a larger program before turning 30, and then she has that choice to have a second
child or keep going, and this is really inhuman [...] so I find it terrible. (Subject no.
9, natural sciences)
The woman quota has not been pushed to the foreground without any re¬
flection, but as a certain necessary, pragmatic solution. We need to add that
this group consists of only female academicians. We can thus assume that their
majority feels to have an especially large responsibility to assist in raising the
proportion of female peers. They have a better insight into inequalities and are
part of the process.
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