This Special Issue on sexism in academic promotions attracted submissions from unsilent women whose professional titles either do not reflect their true professional wisdom or were awarded far too late. Academia must stop hurtling at its toxic pace, and really ask itself what it is doing to its people and in the name of what.

Leaving academia was my act of radical self-care as an intersectional feminist, but I couldn’t see it at the time being clouded in deep grief of deep rejection by a system not designed to see the labour of women of colour. I’ve just read a workbook helping me reclaim who did the final rejecting, and with it restoration.

Women scholars need time to plan their career progression especially around Covid-19, but it’s not a reason to stay small.