These policies apply to all attendees at AWM activities, including mathematicians, students, guests, staff, contractors, and exhibitors, participating in the scientific sessions and social events of any AWM meeting, any AWM student chapter event, or any other AWM sponsored activity.

Statement of Welcoming Environment

It is the policy of the Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) that all participants in AWM activities will enjoy a welcoming, inclusive environment that is free from all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. As a professional organization, the AWM is committed to fostering an atmosphere that encourages the free expression and exchange of scientific ideas. In pursuit of that ideal, the AWM is committed to the promotion of equality of opportunity and treatment for all AWM members and participants in AWM-sponsored events, regardless of gender, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion or religious belief, age, marital status, sexual orientation, immigration status, disabilities, veteran status, or any other reason not related to scientific merit.  Harassment, sexual or otherwise, is a form of misconduct that undermines the integrity of AWM activities.

Last updated 2017.

Diversity & Inclusion Statement

The Association for Women in Mathematics (AWM) is firmly committed to fostering an inclusive environment that enables a diverse community to be involved in and contribute to AWM activities. The AWM believes that all people with an interest in mathematics should be supported and encouraged to participate in the profession. Any type of underrepresentation is a problem for the entire mathematical community: it inevitably leads to missed opportunities and the loss of mathematical talent. Thus, the AWM strongly endorses the National Science Foundation’s goal of “broadening participation” in order to “increase participation from underrepresented groups” in the mathematical sciences (See the NSF’s Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering for a description of these groups). It is AWM’s goal to celebrate, recognize and support a diverse mathematical community of individuals from across the spectrum of age, race, gender, gender identity and expression, national or ethnic origin, religion and religious belief, marital status, parental status, body shape or size, sexual orientation, physical ability, socioeconomic status, employment status and other aspects of diversity.

In order to reach our goals of diversity and inclusion, we pledge to pursue the following guiding principles.

  1.  The AWM is committed to promoting equal opportunity and equal treatment of women, and more broadly, all underrepresented minorities in the mathematical sciences.
  2. The AWM is committed to creating, recognizing, publicizing, and advancing programs aimed at supporting and increasing the representation of women and girls in the mathematical sciences.
  3. The AWM is committed to actively encouraging the representation of underrepresented groups in all facets of the organization, including membership, awards, prizes, conference speakers, committee members, and leadership.
  4. The AWM is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment that is free of discrimination and harassment (see AWM’s Welcoming Environment Statement below).
  5. The AWM is committed to providing a supportive community for all self- identified cis- or transgender women and, more generally, for non-binary or gender non-conforming individuals.

Acknowledgements: The diversity policies adopted by the American Meteorological Society, the Association for Women in Science, and ICERM were particularly helpful in the creation of this document. Last updated 2018.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination and is strictly prohibited at all events affiliated with AWM.  The United States Equal Employment and Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the federal agency charged with enforcing the laws against sexual and other forms of harassment. According to their fact sheet on Sexual Harassment, “Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature constitute sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.” A similar description applies to schools at all levels under  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . Professional meetings and conferences are considered to be an extension of work and school environments. Behavior or language that is welcome/acceptable to one person may be unwelcome/offensive to another. Consequently, individuals must use discretion to ensure that their words and actions communicate respect for others. This is especially important for those in positions of authority since individuals with lower rank or status may be reluctant to express their objections or discomfort regarding unwelcome behavior.

Sexual harassment does not refer to occasional comments of a socially acceptable nature. It refers to behavior that is not welcome, is personally offensive, debilitates morale, and therefore, interferes with work effectiveness. The following are examples of behavior that, when unwelcome, may constitute sexual harassment: sexual flirtations, advances, or propositions; inappropriate invitations to or uninvited entrances to conference lodgings, verbal comments or physical actions of a sexual nature; sexually degrading words used to describe an individual; a display of sexually suggestive objects or pictures; sexually explicit jokes; unnecessary touching.

Other Types of Harassment

Harassment on the basis of any other protected characteristic is also strictly prohibited at all events affiliated with AWM. This conduct includes, but is not limited to: epithets, slurs or negative stereotyping; threatening, intimidating or hostile acts; denigrating jokes and display or circulation of written or graphic material (for example, in conference talks or sessions) that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual or group.

If you believe you are the victim of harassment, write everything down (times, places, nature of the incident, witnesses, and comments made) as soon as possible. Save e-mails, notes, and other potential evidence. Tell someone you trust about the incident. Be as detailed as possible.

If you experience harassment or are aware of harassment incidents at an AWM event, you are welcome to reach out to AWM organizers of the event and/or other AWM members for advice on how to proceed. AWM members can help guide you to an appropriate venue for filing a complaint. You are not expected to discuss details of the harassment, but if you choose to do so, the AWM members you speak to will keep this information confidential to the extent that is legally possible.

The Callisto Survivor’s Guide:  Information and resources for survivors of sexual assault, rape, and professional sexual coercion. To learn more about the non-profit Callisto, please go to projectcallisto.org.

Before you begin, please know that you are not alone. We have created this guide to share information and resources for survivors of sexual assault, rape, and sexual coercion. We hope that you find it helpful.

We know that this time in your life can be very stressful and that much of the language here may be triggering or upsetting. However, we also hope that you find this guide to be empowering and uplifting. It is written by fellow survivors to remind you that you are surrounded by a community of caring individuals, and that there are many resources available to help you on your journey.

Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination and is legally prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace discrimination, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination in schools. Workplaces and educational institutions are legally required to have non-discrimination policies. The sexual harassment complaint process differs from institution to institution. Check the website of your workplace/school and of the workplace/school of the alleged harasser to find these procedures.

Although AWM does not have a formal complaint process, some other professional societies do.  For situations arising at AWM events cosponsored by other societies, you can find information on how to file a complaint by visiting the website of these organizations.  (Links to other societies’ policies with information about complaint processes can also be found on the AWM’s resource page under the section entitled “Policies Adopted by Other Professional Societies.”)

Complaints can also be filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) under state Fair Employment Practice statutes or the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights . If the harassment crosses over the line into the criminal realm (e.g., sexual assault and rape), you should report the incident(s) to the police.

Resources on Welcoming Environments

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