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Gazing at the stars

Project launched to place women at the forefront of astronomy.

A new initiative, called She is an Astronomer, has been launched to ensure that women are aware of all the opportunities that could await them as part of a career in astronomy.

Part of the Year of Astronomy 2009, the project aims to address the gender imbalance in the subject and make careers an option for everyone talented enough, irrespective of gender.

Commenting on the initiative Dr Helen Walker, the Chair of the project, said: “Approximately a quarter of all professional astronomers are women, although there is wide geographical diversity, with some countries having none and other countries having more than 50% female professional astronomers. However, in all countries, these numbers drop towards more senior levels, suggesting that scientific careers are heavily affected by social and cultural factors, and are not determined solely by ability.”

Figures from the UK show that even though the number of female astronomy postgraduates had jumped from 5% in 1992 to 35% in 2003, the percentage of professors had increased by only one percent from 2% to 3% in the same period.

UK Minister for Science and Innovation Lord Drayson, who attended the launch event, said: “I thoroughly support the ‘She is an Astronomer’ project. We need to ensure there are no limits to the boundaries of space research and that there are opportunities for all working in this exciting field."

Find out more at the Astronomy 2009 website.