Gender equity and diversity in astronomy and adaptive optics: what has changed since 2014 and what more can be done

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the various ways in which the Gender Equity in Astronomy invited presentation at the 2014 SPIE Adaptive Optics conference has contributed to shift the discourse around gender equity and gender equality in our field over the past 10 years. In Part I of this paper, the preliminary results of the 2024 survey of the international adaptive optics community are presented to quantify how the representation of women in adaptive optics has evolved since the initial survey was conducted in 2014. The 2024 survey also investigates how diverse the international AO community is across other diversity characteristics such as sexual orientation, disability, language, and geography. In Part II, small, medium and large-scale practical initiatives to achieve greater inclusion, diversity, equity and access in adaptive optics and astronomy are showcased to demonstrate how bold leadership and ambitious objectives and strategies can lead to effective and positive change in that space. Show more