The National Academy of Sciences has a membership that consists of around 2,000 individuals who all contribute in great ways to the scientific community and the world on a whole.
In a recent move, the Academy has moved to put some power behind a recently adopted code of conduct for membership, which aims to reduce forms of harassment.
A new measure to crack down on harassers
The Science Academy recently made big moves to eject sexual harassers and individuals who discriminate against others. In the present situation, members of the Academy can only get asked to resign from their position. The Academy has no way to force a member out if they refuse to resign, even if they face serious allegations of flagrant harassment.
If the members vote to approve the new measure, the Academy will receive the authority to remove any member for violations of its recently updated code of conduct. This code stricty prohibits behaviors and actions that would lead to workplace discrimination based on gender or sexual harassment in specific.
Scientific community under scrunity
These changes come in the wake of the #MeToo movement, which thrust the scientific community at large under country-wide scrutiny. Some large names in science, including a Berkley professor, ended up resigning due to allegations of sexual harassment and more.
Unfortunately, ongoing investigations into the scientific community continue to unveil instances of sexual harassment and discrimination, especially gender-based discrimination. Reports also indicate that workplaces consistently favor male scientists over their counterparts.
These changes are forcing the scientific community at large to reevaluate how they handle discrimination and harassment in their own workplaces, as scientists of all genders and walks of life demand safe environments with equal opportunities to grow.