Women in Science, Engineering and Technology: A Review of The Issues

Abstract

Concern continues to be expressed over women's difficulties in advancing their careers as academic scientists. Though some sciences may be numerically 'feminised', few women reach the upper echelons of science. Scant attention has been paid to issues of the progression of women from non-traditional backgrounds, such as those from ethnic minorities, who may be particularly disadvantaged. What research there is indicates a variation between the sciences in terms of women's careers and patterns that are replicated globally. Explanations are now focusing on how the scientific culture itself acts as a barrier to women rather than on the notion that women themselves lack the requisite skills. The Athena Project is a policy response to this issue. Future research and policy needs to look more closely at differences between the sciences, how women from diverse backgrounds experience the academic labour market and epistemological connections between employment and engagement with the scientific agenda. Academic women in science: is there a problem?Despite a plethora of initiatives mounted in the last decade to address women's under-representation in both scientific and higher education employment, women appear to face considerable difficulties when advancing a career in academic science. The increase in the number of women graduates, including those from ethnic minorities, has not been accompanied by a concomitant increase in the proportions of women in academic posts, particularly in the science, engineering and technology (SET) disciplines -'SET' being a UK term that refers primarily to the biosciences, physical and chemical sciences, mathematics and engineering. This is starkly revealed in quantitative data that show women occupying two per cent or less of professorial posts in many of the SET sub-disciplines (Bebbington, 2001).

Returning to STEM: gendered factors affecting employability for mature women students

“…Women continue to be under represented in science, engineering and technology professions (Kirkup et al 2010;EC 2012;Hill et al 2010, Smith 2011) and this issue has generated a considerable body of research from a range of disciplinary perspectives (Bebbington 2002;Cohoon and Aspray 2005;Ceci and Williams 2010). While the frequently used 'leaky pipeline' metaphor has been criticised for offering too simplistic a perspective (Bickenstaff 2005), it is clear that from the point at which subject choices begin to be made at school, right through to higher level degrees at university, the numbers of women studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects progressively declines.…”

Women and the access to knowledge and new technologies: The case of Pisa

“…The limited technological training of women is also linked to their cultural background and to the geographical context in which they live which prompts women to show their creativity and work skills in traditional sectors (education, health service and retailing) rather than in technical sectors. A number of studies carried out in various countries (Bebbington, 2002) have shown that, despite the increase in the number of women graduates, including those in scientific and technological disciplines, there has not been a corresponding growth in women in the world of work, especially not in high-tech companies or in academic environments. This situation is seen even in countries like Finland where ''gender equality'' action has been taken in the professional field, and where policies have been enacted to facilitate employment for women, especially in terms of services for childcare.…”

“…Some authors, like Bebbington (2002), maintain that this low presence of women in scientific and technological sectors is not so much the result of a process of self-exclusion, but rather of a phenomenon of segregation brought about by men who continue to hold the power in these contexts.…”

Women and gender stereotyping in higher education: A case study of Vidyasagar University post-graduates

“…Traditionally, not only women are less likely to continue higher education but also disproportionately registered for biological and non-quantitative social sciences as compared to mathematics and pure sciences (Chanana, 2004;Chakraborty, 2009;Dandapat & Sengupta, 2012). The under-representation of women students in science and technology is an international policy concern as well (Bebbington, 2002).…”