Bias Called Persistent Hurdle for Women in Sciences

[dogonwheels827]

 A report on the underrepresentation of women in science and math by the American Association of University Women, to be released Monday, found that although women have made gains, stereotypes and cultural biases still impede their success.

The report, “Why So Few?,” supported by the National Science Foundation, examined decades of research to cull

Comments

[artkouros]

And yet women now predominate at universities.

[chuayduay]

Not in math, they don't.

[artkouros]

Maybe this will help:

[dogonwheels827]

As long as there are no impediments to educational opportunities, and clearly there aren't since the majority of college students these days are women, the role of women in engineering and science will continue to increase.

I like how you assume that gender bias is not an impediment to educational opportunity.

While I admire your optimism that things will continue to improve, you're completely over-simplifying the issue, in an insulting way to boot. Try to look at things from a perspective other than your own.

[artkouros]

Fact: There are more women enrolled in college than men.

Conclusion: There is no gender based impediment to educational opportunity for women.

Please explain, from your perspective (since you can't see mine), why this is not a logical conclusion.

[dogonwheels827]

This article was about gender based impediment to women within math and science specifically. You're arguing (and rightly so) that there are more women enrolled in college in general. But just because there are more women in college does not automatically mean that there is no gender based impediment within particular disciplines. Women have historically been discriminated against within the sciences, just as men are discouraged from entering traditionally "female" professions such as nursing and elementary education. By your reasoning there should be a greater proportion of women in ALL disciplines. That's not the case at all.

[artkouros]

I don't dispute that there is gender bias in various professions - there is always a bias toward the "normative", until what's "normal" changes. As more women pursue science as a career that bias must inevitably decrease. My only point is that the ability to get an education is not the problem. Women don't pursue the sciences because they're not expected to, and aren't encouraged to - simply because it's not considered normal, yet.

When I was a kid women had extremely limited options - and there were many legal and institutional barriers to maintain that status quo. Nowadays there are no professions or educational institutions closed to women.

It's admittedly a small sample, but reading through the comments here, I see a few women who chose not to pursue science or math, but none who said "I wanted to be a scientist but they wouldn't let me in". The door is open, the question is how to get more women to walk through it.

[chuayduay]

My supervisor refused to write me a "letter of recommendation" (otherwise known as a formal introduction into the old boys club) despite receiving excellent reports on my thesis from all examiners. He gave no reason for this other than that "he didn't think I was suitable for research".

I have never had a female professor for an advanced subject, and most of them could not look me in the eye. They never once smiled or said hello to me when we passed in the corridor and basically pretended that I didn't exist.

I have had course advisors and career counselors question my choices. Luckily I am extremely stubborn.

[mswyrr]

Women don't pursue the sciences because they're not expected to, and aren't encouraged to - simply because it's not considered normal, yet.

Many women are also actively discouraged, which you don't seem to be aware of.

[chuayduay]

At the conferences I attended there are usually a few women in the audience but they rarely speak, and when they do few people bother to attend. They are never the main speaker. It is quite noticeable. There are also no black people of either gender, like literally none. I have confidence that this is a historical anamoly and things will change - but not without a fight.

[dogonwheels827]

I assume you're speaking strictly to enrollment- the issue here is that there is significant gender-based difference in participation and experience in science in math. Simply arguing that there are more women enrolled in universities dismisses the issue as unimportant, which it's not.

[sceneority]

yeah, the college of engineering here is still only 25% women. the university as a whole might be around 50/50, probably balanced out by some other departments and majors.