Experiences with Subtle Forms of Power Abuse and Moral Pressure in Academia 

Throughout my academic career, I have experienced various forms of subtle power abuse, which were particularly disappointing as they occurred in research fields where one would expect a high degree of reflection and ethical awareness. After my contract ended, I was accused of "leaving" the research group, even though the funding had ended and there were no further financing options. The implicit expectation to continue working without pay was conveyed through moral pressure. When I set boundaries, the response was accusations and guilt-tripping. It was particularly hurtful when the person in question challenged my family situation (due to a sick family member) by asking if the family member "was actually dying" as if only this would be a legitimate reason for my professional decision to leave the group despite the lack of funding. At another position, on my last working day, my supervisor engaged me in a conversation. After briefly leaving the room, the supervisor returned and assigned me an additional task that ultimately required up to 200 working hours. Despite complete delivery, I didn't even receive a thank you. The same person repeatedly made sexist remarks, such as: "Person XY [a woman] left academia because she's a woman after all" - implying that women generally don't stay in academia for long and that they usually become mothers, which for some people could lead to a fear that one should rather not become a mother. The last example illustrates a lack of leadership. The supervisor in question neglected their responsibilities within the research group, choosing instead to promote personal worldviews while criticizing established science in lectures. A student with severe mental health problems approached me with legitimate concerns about his/her thesis topic, which would have placed significant and potentially harmful stress on him/her. Given the student's mental health issues, I was particularly worried about the impact of the topic on him/her. When I raised these concerns with my supervisor, they were dismissed with comments like, 'This will help the person develop further.' My serious worries about the student's mental well-being were ignored, and I was criticized for even discussing the issue with the student. These experiences have shown me how power abuse in academia often takes subtle, elusive forms, especially in that should be concerned with ethics and human interaction. Particularly with these subtle forms, it can take time to recognize the power abuse and its consequences. For this reason, I want to share this so that it might help others to also identify similar situations in their own experiences.