image: Rosalind Franklin; image credit: Rejected Princesses
Our last blog spoke about the issue of unconscious bias and the impact it has on gender inequality in STEMM spaces.
With a complex problem such as the underrepresentation of women in STEMM, comes a complex ecosystem in which the problem exists. Although unconscious bias is a major contributing factor to the problem, it is not the only factor, and there are additional challenges at both the social and organisational level. At the social level this includes a lack of female recognition in these fields historically and a lack of visible role models.
Female role models exist, but we don’t know about them!
If I asked you to think of a famous mathematician, scientist, or inventor – who would come to mind? Perhaps Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, or Thomas Jefferson? In a more modern day context the likes of Bill Gates or Steve Jobs may even top the list.
For decades, there have been amazing women doing amazing things in science, research and beyond. Unfortunately, many of them have either not been included in the history books or their contributions have been understated. Take Rosalind Franklin for example – her research in the 1950’s greatly contributed to what we understand to be the structure of DNA. Though her work was integral to the scientific breakthrough, she was not credited for her contributions at the time, and in the years after she passed, scientists James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded a Nobel Prize for solving the structure of DNA.
Have you ever heard of Mary Anderson? In 1903 she patented the windscreen wiper, but her invention did not appeal to car companies at the time, and she never received any profits years later when the device started featuring on cars. Imagine what a different (and much more stressful) experience driving in the rain would be if your car didn’t have a windscreen wiper…
The lack of recognition for many brilliant women both past and present has damaging effects for inspiring girls at the pre-school, primary and secondary education levels to spark an interest in STEMM. Without visibility about what women have achieved and have the ability to achieve, young girls struggle to see a clear future in these industries and consequently question whether that path is ‘for them’.
The fewer women that enter the STEMM workforce thus means the fewer women that can serve as these role models for generations to come – and so the vicious cycle continues.
Times are changing
We are in a better position now than ever to break this vicious cycle, with many institutions Australia-wide and across the world recognising the need for female role models in STEMM. In Australia, the problem is being addressed through the ‘Superstars of STEM’ program. The program, run by Science and Technology Australia, entails working with 30 females in the industry to elevate their profiles and develop their communicative skills so they can exist as nation-wide role models and engage with media and key decision makers to make a disruptive difference to the underrepresentation of women in innovation.
Additionally, there are many great resources being created to show that it’s never too late to give kudos to those women who’ve been overlooked throughout history. To name a few, Sam Maggs’ book “Wonder Women: 25 Innovators, Inventors, and Trailblazers Who Changed History”, and the recent Hollywood blockbuster Hidden Figures have addressed the problem head on and have done an amazing job of challenging social norms and stereotypes, taking a step in the right direction on the long and windy path towards gender equality in STEMM.
Brilliant Minds Have No Gender 