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Today I’d like to emphasize how challenging academia can be for LGBTQ people in terms of… location 🏳️🌈🗺 Many universities are located in smaller cities, which can pose a significant problem to LGBTQ researchers. Why? Because of a super tiny dating pool 👬👭 A thread ⤵️Permalink
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Straight people can already find challenging to date somebody in those smaller cities, but imagine if your "natural" dating pool is 1/10 or 1/20 smaller… (and not counting for any selection bias, because I’m pretty sure the people who stay in those cities aren’t random…)Permalink
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I know LGBTQ researchers, who are located in such cities, who are in personal distress because they can’t find anybody. Some even questions if taking this job was a good idea… And I can’t prove that, but I’m pretty sure their scientific productivity suffers from that…Permalink
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But the problem is simple: academia is so competitive nowadays that you are inclined to take *any* position offered, mostly because for many, only one offer will land on their desk… Accepting a job in an area that doesn’t fit your preferences is challenging for everybody.Permalink
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For LGBTQ, the situation is the same, but worsePermalink
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And I’m wondering: How many talented LGBTQ researchers have we lost because they were only offered a job in a small city, and they refused it to basically save their love life?Permalink
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How many talented LGBTQ researchers suffer from a reduced productivity because they battle with their loneliness? Not only is the situation unfair, but it’s also detrimental to economics itself as we end up losing talent and productivity…Permalink
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How can we improve this? I honestly don’t know. I think it’s a though and really challenging question. If you have any idea or suggestion, feel free to share it at the end of the thread…
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Personally, the huge constraints that academia would apply on my location is definitely in the top 3 of the reasons why I’ve decided to leave after my defense It’s not only for the dating pool, but it definitely played a role in my decision…Permalink
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Also: I’m not pretending I’m the first one to raise this issue. I’m sure I’m definitely not. Feel free to share tweets and threads about it if you’re aware of any of them! Thanks. FINPermalink
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Important precision: @notanastronomer/1226783084235771909?s=21 @notanastronomer/1226783084235771909Permalink
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It’s not just about dating, it’s more than that: @jsentsminger/1226851991391002625?s=21 @JSEntsminger/1226851991391002625Permalink
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A dating pool 1/20th smaller is a *maximum*, aka if you don’t account for preferences: @jsentsminger/1226855807486234626?s=21 @JSEntsminger/1226855807486234626Permalink
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