EQUALITY GUIdE - KU Leuven

Chapter 4 ! Scientific communication 209
they want to be (the top). They skip a number of steps and go on to take an important
position. If you want to progress, you need to aim higher. Take the picture of a spider
web. You can follow each strand, but you can also jump from one angle of the spider
web to the other. Seek a mentor who can help you in your grow path.
4.1.2.1.6. What is important to you in your job?
Indicate what you think is important in a job. Is it the colleagues, the wages, the contents
of the job, the opportunity to use your qualities, the career opportunities, the
work-life balance, the appreciation? For many women, wages are less important: research
has shown a wage gap between men and women. However, wages are a kind
of appreciation; they show how important you are for the company. You have to find
out what the right wages are for the type of job you are doing.
4.1.2.1.7. Which elements can advance your career?
Some possible answers:
! openness of the management, getting career opportunities, being encouraged;
! support of your family;
! network development, having a mentor;
! lifetime learning;
! open communication about your own ambitions;
! creating visibility;
! getting the chance to remain yourself.
4.1.2.1.8. Which elements can slow down your career?
Some possible answers:
! uncertainty about your own competencies;
! macho environment or culture;
! overprotection of women;
! poor work-life balance;
! lack of coaching and encouragement;
! insufficient visibility;
! not daring to take difficult/unpopular decisions.
4.1.2.1.9. What do you want to obtain?
Some possible answers:
! permanent position at the university in my research area;
! combining research and education, practice and society;
! getting appreciation of society and colleagues;
! creating a balance between work and private life;
! being a good promoter for doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers;
! developing a research group and attracting good researchers;
! becoming a doctoral assistant;
! becoming a professor and/or department chairperson.