The field of national and international security, and nuclear policy in particular, has traditionally been predominantly white and predominantly male in composition. It remains so, despite the declared commitment of many organizations to attract women and minorities and earnest policies and practices to do so. Only about one-third of professionals in the WMD policy and research field are women. The gap is far wider for women of color. What are the most challenging obstacles to diversifying the nuclear field? What are the greatest bottlenecks, biggest opportunities, and most successful strategies for closing the gap? Most importantly, beyond gender tokenism and optics, what is the transformative impact of a more diverse academic and policy milieu that deals with the world’s deadliest weapons? To discuss these and other questions, the Project on Managing the Atom brings together prominent women who have impactfully engaged with challenges to diversity in the security and nuclear field.

Organization/Sponsor: Project on Managing the Atom, Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs

Speaker(s): ​Sarah Bidgood, Director of the Eurasia Nonproliferation Program at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Heather Hurlburt, Director of the New Models of Policy Change project at New America's Political Reform program, Sylvia Mishra, New Tech Nuclear Officer at the European Leadership Network, Nomsa Ndongwe, Enrollment Manager for MIIS, and a Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Jenny Town, Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and the Director of Stimson’s 38 North Program, Moderator: Mariana Budjeryn , Research Associate with the Project on Managing the Atom

Contact Info: jacob_carozza@hks.harvard.edu
More info: https://www.belfercenter.org/event/pipelines-and-ceilings-gender-gap-nuclear-policy