Female researchers testify to a problematic work environment at Uppsala University with harassment and bullying. The medical researcher “Karin” says that she was opposed by her colleagues after she protested against the recruitment of a male lecturer.
– He did not have a single teaching hour in the subject of the service, while I had about 600 hours. And he would have an educational advantage. It was like what I was doing didn’t count at all. His meager merits were worth so much more, says “Karin”.
A few years later, she was exposed to suspected sabotage in the laboratory when her cell samples from, among other things, cancer patients were destroyed. The temperature in the warming cabinet where the samples were stored had been raised from 37 to 50 degrees, and weeks of work had been lost.
– The whole thing had been taken to a new level. It was no longer just directed in words like diminishing and annihilating. Now it had taken physical form that they wanted to sabotage. There is someone who does not want me well, who wants to get me away from this place, says “Karin”.
Close to 70 percent of all professors are men
Research shows that the higher up the academic hierarchy, the harder it is for women to advance. About the same number of men as women start PhDs, but more men get PhDs. Among professors in Sweden, 31 percent are women and 69 percent are men. The difference has decreased over time, but cannot be explained solely by historical inequality.
– Part of the inequality in academia is that you are not made visible. You don’t get noticed, you don’t get credit for the work you’ve done. You are not referenced to the same extent as your male colleagues, says Anna Wahl, professor of gender, organization and management at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH).
“Karin” left Uppsala University
The head of “Karin’s” institution says that there were suspicions of sabotage but that they found no evidence. It was not investigated further and no police report was made.
“Karin” finally chose to move to another university, where she was promoted to professor after just one year.
– It was very liberating. Because the climate looks like it does in Uppsala, most people don’t dare to do anything. I consider that I have acted, but I have had to pay a very high price for it, she says.
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