From Inspiration to Action: Empowering and shaping the next generation

Author: Marieke Cambeen

Executive Managing Director of Springer Journals

International Women's Day (IWD) is a moment to celebrate the incredible achievements of women across the globe. As a global publisher we see our role as one of action and engagement. Not just internally through our business, but through our publications, policies and the external actions that we undertake with our community to champion and support women whilst seeking to eliminate barriers for the next generation.

So how do we do this?

Platforms, Partnerships, Policies

Women are still underrepresented, particularly in STEM careers, due to persistent early educational biases and funding gaps. Throughout 2024, Springer Nature has sought to be a leading advocate for the role of women in research, providing a platform to celebrate their contributions to science and beyond.

As we support more than 100,000 academic editors across our portfolio, representation is key, and something that we are working with our community and partners to ensure equity and inclusion in global research. Last year we undertook an extensive piece of work to examine the geographic and gender diversity of our academic editors and published our findings in the report on researcher perceptions and experiences. By sharing these results publicly, we aim to inform, inspire, and drive forward action across the industry.

“In the research and publishing ecosystem, implicit bias can significantly impact a researcher’s career. By offering tools to our community to understand and address implicit bias and reports that leverage technology for data-driven decision-making, we empower our community with insights needed to understand and take action supported by data” says Sowmya Swaminathan, Director, External DEI, Research, Springer Nature. 

Alongside representation, we continue to expand our partnerships, such as our collaboration with the UN Women in Media Compact, to increase the visibility of women researchers, drive women’s leadership, and reduce biases against women. The 2024 inaugural Mid-Career Winner of the Sony Women in Technology Award with Nature, Dr. Kiana Aran, also took place and is a perfect example of the inspiring women in science that we at Springer Nature are proud to celebrate, support, and promote globally. Read more about the about the award and Dr. Aran here.

Beyond the research field, we continue to focus efforts on helping to inspire and support the next generation of women in STEM.  In London, we took over Kings Cross with our What Does A Scientist Look Like?” exhibition challenging the public to confront their ideas of what science is, and within that the role of women.  Engaging the next generation, we invited local girls' schools to walk around the exhibition with Nature editors. A Nature Careers Podcast episode captured their reactions and thoughts about the exhibition and what science means to them.

Across the globe in India, we ran a campaign “Her Research, Our Future” that focused on empowering current and future women researchers across the country, providing these extraordinary women a platform to share their stories and how they are driving innovation and progress in their respective fields.

All these examples continue to highlight and recognise the role of women in research and the steps that need to be taken to ensure more equitable, and representative future.

Employee-Driven Empowerment and Initiatives Across Our Teams

Springer Nature is dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where every voice is heard and valued. Women now comprise 44% of Springer Nature’s global leadership, with the management board now containing a 50/50 gender split.  In fact, we have seen a 5% increase in gender representation in this group since 2018  reflective of our investment in talent and supporting greater opportunities for women to grow their careers into senior leadership positions.

One example of Springer Nature’s success stories for career advancing opportunities for women is the FT Women in Business Forum, of which Springer Nature is a founding member. As of 2023 the programme went global, now enabling women across all Springer Nature locations to participate.

But this is just one of the initiatives through which we foster our networks and partnerships to support our staff. We also continue to have a very active global employee base. Of our more than 9000 employees, one in five is actively taking part in a network. Our global women’s network, with 11 chapters and growing, leads various events and programs. Recent examples include our “Family Day” in Tokyo or the “Allyship Workshop” in Heidelberg, with all activities focused on providing personal and professional avenues for development and visibility for women at Springer Nature.

“With 60 events across 6 continents in 2024, SN Women is a vibrant and active global community of likeminded women and allies striving to advance women, programmes like the SN Mentoring Program are all focused on building a stronger, more inclusive, and supportive environment for women with Springer Nature and beyond” Petty Charavitsidou, Co-Chair of SN Women. 

We recognise our duty to champion and advance the inspiring work of women both internally and externally. At Springer Nature, advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion is not just a priority, but a fundamental part of our mission and who we are. Through our publications and platforms, we have the power to influence and inspire millions worldwide, driving real change and fostering a more equitable future.

Find out more about our commitments in our DEI in Research Publishing hub., Annual Progress Report, and  Sustainable Business Report.

###

Achieving gender equality is more crucial than ever. This is just a small snapshot of what we are doing globally across our business and with our partners to support that. We look forward to celebrating IWD with you and standing alongside our wider community to accelerate progress. You can follow our activity and outreach for this year’s IWD @SpringerNature #InvestInWomen.