Blog 6: Gender Inequality in Fields of Science-Alex Plummer

This article discusses the lack of women in science-based careers and the factors that drive women away from them. While there have been gains for women within the science and engineering realm in recent years, they still face many challenges. The article states that within the United States women earn around half of the doctorates in science and engineering, but only make up 21% of full-time science professors and 5% of full-time engineering professors. Also, in these positions they earn an estimated 82% of what their male counter parts make in the U.S.

There is a large difficulty within universities in enticing a greater number of women to enter and STAY in sciences. Early on in stages of science fields’ qualified women are dropping out. These highly capable women are simply leaving their initial ambitions behind because they don’t feel welcome, supported, and have few women to look up to in similar careers. The article states that differing levels of family values contribute to the gender gap. UK chemistry students viewed research fields as such time consuming activities that it wouldn’t work well with raising a family. I study from the University of California; Berkeley found that both male and female postdocs without children are equally as likely to decide against research careers at a rate of 20%. But female postdocs, who later became parents or planned to be, abandoned research careers up to twice as often as men in similar situations. In order to appeal to more mothers many universities have established child-care assistance and extended tenure clocks for new parents. The gender roles placed on our society are perpetually evident. Many women feel like they must sacrifice their careers in order to raise a family while men don’t feel that’s necessary. Women are dominantly seen as the caregivers and the ones responsible for the houses upkeep.

Women looking to further their career path in the sciences are faced with biases from not only men but women. Yale University microbiologist Jo Handelsman asked 127 professors of biology, chemistry, and physics at six different US universities to evaluate two fictitious college students for a laboratory manager position. The data uncovered that overall the professors would offer the female candidate less than her male peer with the same credentials. As well as be more likely to mentor the male candidate. Even if these biases are unconscious ones, it’s still overwhelming to think professional women are holding back the development of other women. But it could also be that these professors felt intimated by their male colleagues presence if any of them were stationed in the same room. In fact a survey distributed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science concluded that out of 1,300 responses, 52% of women said they’d encountered gender bias during their careers, while just 2% of men stated they had. Other findings have shown females outperforming males in getting interviews and job opportunities.

Finally the article discusses salary inequalities. In the EU, female scientists earned on average between 25% and 40% less than their male colleagues in 2006. Within the US the average gap is smaller but there is a large variation in fields of physics and astronomy, where women earn 40% less than men. But as the article previously stated, there are changes occurring within this gap. Women who have higher positions as science and engineering professors still have a smaller pay gap but there is little difference between junior faculties. 

http://www.nature.com/news/inequality-quantified-mind-the-gender-gap-1.12550