Bias still the rule for women in science

19-08-2005

by Ciara O'Brien

Women are still finding it tough to forge scientific careers in academic institutions, despite initiatives designed to help level the playing field.

An analysis of the issue published in Science magazine concluded that women encounter unconscious bias, a "sometimes chilly" campus environment, and must deal with balancing their family and work when trying to climb the career ladder. The paper was written by a number of prominent women scientists and academic administrators in the US.

"The good news is we've made progress," said Jo Handelsman, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and lead author of the Science paper. "The bad news is we still have a long way to go to achieve equity."

The report blames the situation primarily on bias and a climate that undervalues women in the scientific field, rather than the ability of the candidates. It also found that fewer women are trained to PhD level or encouraged to pursue academic careers.

Handelsman claimed there was "covert and overt" hostility aimed at women on US campuses, which made women feel undervalued. However, this was frequently missed by their male counterparts, and faculty surveys at MIT, Princeton, and the universities of Michigan and Wisconsin revealed that men often perceived a better climate for women.

The latest research comes as attempts are being made to lure more women into careers in the science industry. According to the European Commission, the number of women in senior positions in science is increasing slowly; across the EU, women make up 14 percent of top academics, but represent 44 percent of graduates in science and technology subjects.

The authors of the Science paper were hopeful that new initiatives would help boost women in the scientific field. Similar programmes have been put into place in Ireland. Earlier this year, Science Foundation Ireland promised to introduce three new programmes in a bid to address the under-representation of women in science and engineering research.

The Women in Technology and Science group has also called on the government introduce minimum gender targets and other measures to encourage women to remain in scientific research. SFI distributed EUR316 million to researchers in Ireland between 2001 and 2003, but WITS claims less than 10 percent of that was awarded to women researchers.