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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 others, 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 traditional 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 disadvantage by default, and this inequality of opportunities needs to be mitigated 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 reflection, 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. +06 +»
