Before you start reading this article, let me ask you a question: Why are the number of female scientists significantly less than the number of male scientists? Also, even when there are very accomplished women scientists, why so rarely do we hear about them winning Nobel Prizes in the field of Science? Recently in the 2019 Nobel Prizes, all the winners ended up being men. Not a single woman. So why is there such a weak correlation between women scientists and the Nobel Prize?
The last woman to win a Nobel Prize was Donna Strickland, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2018. Before her, the last woman to win a Nobel Prize in the field of Science was Maria Goeppert Mayer in 1963 (57 years ago) and before that it was the famous Marie Curie in 1903. Donna Strickland was only the third woman to ever win a Nobel Prize in the field of Science, specifically Physics, a Science dominated mainly by men. When she was asked about how she felt about winning a Nobel Prize, she said that it was surprising as very few women win this award. In her words, “I do live in a world of mostly men, so seeing mostly men doesn’t really ever surprise me either.” This rare occurence of having a woman winning a Nobel Prize once in a blue moon raises the question: why are women still being excluded from careers in Science? Because let’s be honest, female researchers have come a very long way in the past century (though unfortunately, evidence is still present that women are underrepresented in Science).
So why is this? Well, one of the main answers to this question is bias. Bias is one of the biggest and most intense factors in fields that are predominantly male-based, leading to a lack of female representation and women being viewed as outsiders. In my life, I have noticed a similar trend. I have very few female friends who take Physics at either higher or standard level, as they feel that HL or SL Physics will be “really hard” and “the worst decision ever.” On the other hand, what is important is that women who become successful in fields of sports, politics, medicine and health sciences serve as role models and inspiration to everyone, especially young girls and other women. So are things really getting better in the field of science for women? What is holding them back? Well, the good news is that people are trying to get rid of the traditional gender stereotypes such as the perception that women “don’t like math” and “aren’t good at Science.” For the past few decades, improvement in the representation of women in Science has been due to the introduction of educational reforms that allow girls to stay in the field of Science. This is working. Women are slowly starting to join Science and get a career in Science. According to the American Institute of Physics, women earn about 20% of bachelor’s degrees and 18% of PhDs in Physics, which is a great increase since 1975 when women at that time earned 10% of bachelor’s degrees and 5% of PhDs in Physics.
Despite this, there is still a huge gender disparity in the field of Science. Why? What is not working? What can still be fixed? In addition to issues such as the gender pay gap, women feel that they are unable to progress in the field of Science due to their inability to balance their work and personal lives. Science is a field that requires a lot of time and focus towards an experiment, especially if it could help society. Moreover, working in places that are male-dominated lead to women feeling more isolated in the workplace and susceptible to harassment, which is an ongoing problem. As a result, women are afforded less respect and recognition in terms of their accomplishments. Research has shown that male scientists are addressed by their last names whereas female scientists are addressed by their first names. . Why am I saying this? Because logically when people are referred to by their last names instead of their firsts, it means that they are viewed as famous and eminent in the industry or workplace. Also, if I asked you to think about a scientist who was a Nobel Prize winner, you would picture an older white man rather than a woman. After addressing this issue, I hope girls who are interested in pursuing a career in Science stay in that stream of Science. This gender disparity really really needs to end. Specifically in Physics, if we raise more awareness and treat women scientists with respect and admiration, it won’t be long until we hear about another woman who has won the Nobel Prize in the world of Science. Personally, I am really interested to see the day when there will be no such bias in the field of science and STEM in general.
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