Ten Simple Rules to Achieve Conference Speaker Gender Balance

Recently, the quantum molecular science world was in uproar [1,2]. The preliminary list of approximately 25 speakers for the International Congress of Quantum Chemistry (ICQC) was published online, with no women speakers listed. One reaction to this list was to set up a petition to ‘‘condemn gender-biased discriminatory practices of which ICQC2015 is the most recent example’’ [3]. This resulted in an apology and a new speaker list with six women speakers [4]. Sadly though, this is not an isolated incident: men-only invited conference speaker lists are all too common [5]. How can we get gender balance right? To begin with, it’s worth reminding ourselves why gender balance is important. First, it’s critical for the future of science that young women and men can see real evidence that scientists can succeed regardless of gender. So, if we are going to encourage women into careers in science we need also to provide role models for them to aspire to. We need to show that being a woman and being a successful scientist are not mutually exclusive. One way of doing that is to give women scientists a platform to present their research. If we don’t address gender balance in speaker programs, we will continue to normalise a gendered stereotype of scientific leadership. Then when crunch time comes, women will continue to leave in far greater numbers than men [6–9] in part because they see no path ahead for themselves. And that means scientific research potentially loses half of its brightest talent. Moreover, a speaking invitation contributes enormously to the profile of a researcher. By extending more invitations to women and other under-represented sections of the academic community, we provide a boost to their visibility and their track record. This will help them to progress by raising their national and international profile and help support their applications for grants, academic positions, and fellowships. Finally, conferences and symposia are great ways of generating new collaborations, new ideas, and new directions in science. If we keep inviting the same people, and the same types of people, over and over again, we limit the diversity of thought and, potentially, the opportunities for innovation. So, here are ten simple rules to achieve conference speaker gender balance.