EWM open letter on the Covid-19 pandemic

EPWS member organisation femmes & mathematiques collaborated in drafting a letter to highlight the situation of women mathematicians during the COVID-19 situation. This is an open letter, an initiative of women mathematicians members of EWM, European Women in Mathematics.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing full and partial lockdowns that this year swept across Europe and the world are unprecedented. Not all of the aftereffects are negative: As a group we have broadened our skills and horizons in digital teaching and online seminars. But the net impact on research and training in academia has been disastrous: Conferences were cancelled and collaborations stood still. Time slated for research splintered among the competing demands of home-schooling, eldercare, and quarantines. Networking and mentorship stalled. Common but often unaddressed mental health issues mushroomed – at a time when getting help was harder than ever.
Let us be clear about one fact:
We did not experience the crisis equally.
Untenured faculty lost more. Women lost more. Caregivers lost more. The more vulnerable the population, the greater the disadvantage. (…)”

You can read the whole letter and sign it in this link.