Gemma Gray: From Fellowship to PhD – exploring aspects of autism in women
Gemma Gray: From Fellowship to PhD – exploring aspects of autism in women
Author
Embarking on a Churchill Fellowship often leads to unexpected outcomes. This has certainly been the case for Gemma Gray, whose interest in autistic women and their inclusion in the workplace has prompted a return to full-time education to study for a PhD.
Inspiration for a Churchill Fellowship
Gemma was awarded her Fellowship in 2023, to explore social and employment opportunities for autistic women.
Her interest was sparked by her own experience. Both she and her teenage daughter are autistic. Ten years ago she founded and still runs a peer-to-peer support group – Colouring Outside the Lines – to link parents of autistic girls, to try to connect with others going through the same experience as herself. They now have over 7,500 members.
“I knew lots about autistic girls and as my daughter was growing up I was naturally looking at the world of work, and further education. I could see every day the incredible benefits of being autistic, and yet this was not represented in the stigmatised view I experienced elsewhere.”
For her Fellowship, Gemma travelled to Toronto. Here, she discovered examples of how small changes can make a difference, such as at the University of Toronto, which appointed an autistic adviser specifically to engage with and support autistic students. She also visited Mesa, Arizona, the United States’ first certified autism-friendly city. Gemma was able to conduct some of her exploration online, linking up with organisations in Australia and New York.
"The Churchill Fellowship was a huge catalyst for me. They trusted me... in 20 years’ time I will still be talking about the Fellowship."
Putting Fellowship learning into practice
Back in the UK, Gemma created a series of podcasts, which helped to cement her learning, and which she plans to build on and make more widely available.
Having discovered a love of research, Gemma then went on to apply to Heriot-Watt University, winning a PhD scholarship to study autistic women in conjunction with menopause in a workplace context.
“I saw that Heriot-Watt were looking for applications for a PhD to study neurodiversity and menopause at work – it was serendipitous! Now, having not set foot in a university for decades, I am spending my time talking to autistic women about their workplace experiences and the intersectionality with menopause.”
Gemma hopes her PhD will lead to organisational change among employers – change that is essential for the women themselves, and wider society.
“I hope the work I am doing will have a significant impact on businesses. Employers need to wake up, because if we don’t get this right for autistic women and menopausal women, it’s not just them, but it’s the economy that suffers.”
Gemma, whose career to date has been in marketing, said the Fellowship came at a moment when she was considering taking a sabbatical.
“The Churchill Fellowship was a huge catalyst for me. It absolutely gave me confidence that what I was looking at and thinking about was valid. They trusted me, and all the Fellows, to do what we do and in 20 years’ time I will still be talking about the Fellowship.”
Inspiration for a Churchill Fellowship
Gemma was awarded her Fellowship in 2023, to explore social and employment opportunities for autistic women.
Her interest was sparked by her own experience. Both she and her teenage daughter are autistic. Ten years ago she founded and still runs a peer-to-peer support group – Colouring Outside the Lines – to link parents of autistic girls, to try to connect with others going through the same experience as herself. They now have over 7,500 members.
“I knew lots about autistic girls and as my daughter was growing up I was naturally looking at the world of work, and further education. I could see every day the incredible benefits of being autistic, and yet this was not represented in the stigmatised view I experienced elsewhere.”
For her Fellowship, Gemma travelled to Toronto. Here, she discovered examples of how small changes can make a difference, such as at the University of Toronto, which appointed an autistic adviser specifically to engage with and support autistic students. She also visited Mesa, Arizona, the United States’ first certified autism-friendly city. Gemma was able to conduct some of her exploration online, linking up with organisations in Australia and New York.
"The Churchill Fellowship was a huge catalyst for me. They trusted me... in 20 years’ time I will still be talking about the Fellowship."
Putting Fellowship learning into practice
Back in the UK, Gemma created a series of podcasts, which helped to cement her learning, and which she plans to build on and make more widely available.
Having discovered a love of research, Gemma then went on to apply to Heriot-Watt University, winning a PhD scholarship to study autistic women in conjunction with menopause in a workplace context.
“I saw that Heriot-Watt were looking for applications for a PhD to study neurodiversity and menopause at work – it was serendipitous! Now, having not set foot in a university for decades, I am spending my time talking to autistic women about their workplace experiences and the intersectionality with menopause.”
Gemma hopes her PhD will lead to organisational change among employers – change that is essential for the women themselves, and wider society.
“I hope the work I am doing will have a significant impact on businesses. Employers need to wake up, because if we don’t get this right for autistic women and menopausal women, it’s not just them, but it’s the economy that suffers.”
Gemma, whose career to date has been in marketing, said the Fellowship came at a moment when she was considering taking a sabbatical.
“The Churchill Fellowship was a huge catalyst for me. It absolutely gave me confidence that what I was looking at and thinking about was valid. They trusted me, and all the Fellows, to do what we do and in 20 years’ time I will still be talking about the Fellowship.”