Men have historically dominated all scientific disciplines. This is something that I, as a woman working in science, as well as a lot of the general public are aware of. Just ask a child to draw a “scientist”, and they’ll draw a white man in a lab coat. The idea that men are scientists and women are, well, just not, is pervasive throughout history. “Men of science” was the term used to refer to scientists until 1834, and even then, the idea of using the word “scientist” to encompass both genders was mocked. Even in the 20th century, finding work published in an academic journal under a woman’s name was still a rarity.

Today, we have taken huge steps forward to increase the number of women and girls working in and interested in science. Although the situation is far from perfect — it is estimated that only 13% of the STEM workforce is female, with only 21% of STEM professors in the US being female in 2010 (US National Research Council) — this is a major shift from only a few decades ago, and progress is being made in all scientific disciplines.

Journals and societies are also making an effort to increase the number of female editorial staff, invite more women to speak at conferences, and provide funding exclusively for women returning from a career gap, often after having children, to reduce the number of women that leave academia at this point in their careers.

However, some rather disheartening research from the University of Pennsylvania suggests that this progress may not be as universal as we thought. A new report suggests that while the number of women in positions of seniority in science may be steadily increasing, the presence of women in reference lists — that is, work published by women and cited by other people — still lags behind men, and this problem is only getting worse.

#women #neuroscience #equality #science #academia #data-science