An intersectional gender analysis of familial and socio-cultural drivers of inequitable scientific career progression of researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa

Background Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) suffers from a dearth of concrete information on the causes of women’s under-representation in scientific research workforce particularly at higher levels compared with the wealth of information that exists in the global north. The goal of this study was to illuminate familial and socio-cultural drivers that contribute to intersectional gender inequities in scientific career progression in SSA to inform strategies that could promote career equity for African scientific researchers. Methods This study was nested within the context of ‘Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science in Africa’ (DELTAS Africa)—a health-based scientific research capacity strengthening initiative. It adopted an exploratory qualitative cross-sectional study design. In-depth interviews were conducted among 58 (32 Female and 26 Male) trainees/research fellows at various career stages, affiliated to three purposively selected African Research Consortia. The interviews were conducted between May and December 2018 in English. The data were analysed inductively based on emergent themes. Results The study participants were nationals of thirteen SSA countries. More female than male participants had young children. Four themes were identified. They illustrate women’s and men’s characterisation of the normative career pathway and progression requirements which calls for significant ‘time’ commitments (theme 1), and how social power relations of gender within the family and wider society shapes their participation in scientific research activities (theme 2). This culminates in researchers'' differential experiences of navigating between the ‘two different lives’—family and career, and the resultant implications for their career progression and personal well-being (theme 3). Women researchers made different and conscious trade-offs for navigating the ‘two different lives’ by utilising various metaphors such as the ‘biological clock and career clock’, the ‘glass ball and rubber ball’, and the concept of ‘sacrifice’ (theme 4). Conclusions This study is the first of its kind to demonstrate how intersectional gender analysis through use of qualitative research methods may provide novel insights into the hidden familial and socio-cultural drivers of gender inequitable scientific research career progression. It offers important policy and practice measures and approaches for fostering career equity for women and men scientists within research capacity strengthening initiatives in SSA

Enablers of gender equitable scientific career progression in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights from the DELTAS Africa Initiative

Background: This paper present findings on current strategies utilised within selected Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science in Africa’ (DELTAS Africa) consortia to promote gender equitable scientific career progression for researchers, as well as participants’ recommendations for change. Findings are drawn from a wider research study nested within this health-based scientific research capacity strengthening initiative that was aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of the barriers and enablers of gender equitable scientific career progression for researchers in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: We adopted an exploratory qualitative cross-sectional study design. The main method of data collection was in-depth interviews (IDIs) with trainees/research fellows at various career stages affiliated to three purposively selected DELTAS Africa Research Consortia. In addition, key informant interviews (KIIs) with consortia research leaders/directors, co-investigators, and management team were also conducted to corroborate information gathered from the IDIs, and to provide additional insights on the enabling factors/actions and policy processes that were currently in place or proposed to enhance gender equitable career progression. In total, fifty-eight IDIs (32 female and 26 male) and twenty KIIs (4 female and 16 male) were conducted. Interviews were carried out between May and December 2018 in English. Data were analysed inductively based on emergent themes, and aligned to the developed integrated conceptual framework. Results: Three overarching themes were identified. First: micro level efforts - individual coping mechanisms and familial level support. Second: Meso level efforts -existing enabling mechanisms at the institutional level. Third: proposed solutions for positive change towards enhancing gender equitable career progression at micro, meso and macro levels. Conclusions: These findings have implications for future research capacity strengthening programming, including DELTAS Africa II initiative (2021-2025); they provide valuable insights on potential strategies and actions aiming to narrow gender inequities in scientific career progression in the context of sub-Saharan African research institutions. Keywords: Researchers’ lived experiences; enabling mechanisms; gender equity; scientific career progression; Sub-Saharan Africa; DELTAS Africa; health research capacity strengthening

Institutional-level drivers of gender-inequitable scientific career progression in sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND: This study sought to determine how institutional environments, including values, policies, and their implementation, shape inequities in scientific career progression for women and men, and their disadvantages in relation to their multiple social identities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The findings are drawn from a wider research study that was aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of the barriers and enablers of gender-equitable scientific career progression for researchers in SSA. This was nested within the context of the Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science in Africa (DELTAS Africa) programme—a health-based scientific research capacity-strengthening initiative. METHODS: The study adopted an exploratory qualitative cross-sectional study design. In-depth interviews (IDIs) with trainees/research fellows at various career stages supported and/or affiliated to three purposively selected DELTAS Africa Research Consortia were the main method of data collection. In addition, key informant interviews (KIIs) with consortia research leaders/directors, co-investigators, and the consortia management team were also conducted to corroborate information gathered from the IDIs, and also to provide additional insights on the drivers of intersectional gender-inequitable career progression. In total, 58 IDIs (32 female and 26 male) and 20 KIIs (4 female and 16 male) were conducted. The interviews were carried out in English between May and December 2018. The data were analysed inductively based on emergent themes. RESULTS: Three interrelated themes were identified: first, characterization of the institutional environment as highly complex and competitive with regard to advancement opportunities and funding structure; second, inequitable access to support systems within institutions; third, informal rules—everyday experiences of negative practices and culture at the workplace, characterized by negative stereotypical attitudes, gender biases, sexual harassment, and bullying and intimidation. CONCLUSIONS: We contend that understanding and addressing the social power relations at the meso-institutional environment and macro-level contexts could benefit career progression of both female and male researchers by improving work culture and practices, resource allocation, and better rules and policies, thus fostering positive avenues for systemic and structural policy changes

Mosquito behavior change after distribution of bednets results in decreased protection against malaria exposure

Behavioral resilience in mosquitoes poses a significant challenge to mosquito control. Although behavior changes in anopheline vectors have been reported over the last decade, there are no empirical data to suggest they compromise the efficacy of vector control in reducing malaria transmission.; In this study, we quantified human exposure to both bites and infective bites of a major malaria vector in Papua New Guinea over the course of 4 years surrounding nationwide bednet distribution. We also quantified malaria infection prevalence in the human population during the same time period.; We observed a shift in mosquito biting to earlier hours of the evening, before individuals are indoors and protected by bednets, followed by a return to preintervention biting rates. As a result, net users and non-net users experienced higher levels of transmission than before the intervention. The personal protection provided by a bednet decreased over the study period and was lowest in the adult population, who may be an important reservoir for transmission. Malaria prevalence decreased in only 1 of 3 study villages after the distribution.; This study highlights the necessity of validating and deploying vector control measures targeting outdoor exposure to control and eliminate malaria

Identification and Characterization of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma-Associated SEREX Antigens

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) are generally less common and pursue a more aggressive clinical course than B-cell lymphomas, with the T-cell phenotype itself being a poor prognostic factor in adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). With notable exceptions such as ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL, ALK+), the molecular abnormalities in PTCL remain poorly characterised. We had previously identified circulating antibodies to ALK in patients with ALCL, ALK+. Thus, as a strategy to identify potential antigens associated with the pathogenesis of PTCL, not otherwise specified (PTCL, NOS), we screened a testis cDNA library with sera from four PTCL, NOS patients using the SEREX (serological analysis of recombinant cDNA expression libraries) technique. We identified nine PTCL, NOS-associated antigens whose immunological reactivity was further investigated using sera from 52 B- and T-cell lymphoma patients and 17 normal controls. The centrosomal protein CEP250 was specifically recognised by patients sera and showed increased protein expression in cell lines derived from T-cell versus B-cell malignancies. TCEB3, BECN1, and two previously uncharacterised proteins, c14orf93 and ZBTB44, were preferentially recognised by patients' sera. Transcripts for all nine genes were identified in 39 cancer cell lines and the five genes encoding preferentially lymphoma-recognised antigens were widely expressed in normal tissues and mononuclear cell subsets. In summary, this study identifies novel molecules that are immunologically recognised in vivo by patients with PTCL, NOS. Future studies are needed to determine whether these tumor antigens play a role in the pathogenesis of PTCL

Visual recognition of gestures in a meeting to detect when documents being talked about are missing

Meetings frequently involve discussion of documents and can be significantly affected if a document is absent. An agent system capable of spontaneously retrieving a document at the point it is needed would have to judge whether a meeting is talking about a particular document and whether that document is already present. We report the exploratory application of agent techniques for making these two judgements. To obtain examples from which an agent system can learn, we first conducted a study of participants making these judgements with video recordings of meetings. We then show that interactions between hands and paper documents in meetings can be used to recognise when a document being talked about is not to hand. The work demonstrates the potential for multimodal agent systems using these techniques to learn to perform specific, discourse-level tasks during meetings