Status of Women in Physics in Nigeria

Abstract

The number of women in physics in Nigeria is increasing, but women still remain underrepresented. Nigeria is a country of 120 million people, and 60% of these are women. A new survey was conducted to analyze the progress made by female physicists since the First IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics was held in Paris in 2002. Questionnaires were distributed to almost all female physicists in the physics departments of Nigerian universities and to a few female physicists working outside the university. Most of the women in physics are still from the southern part of the country; this is expected because the literacy rate is higher in the south than in the north. Of the female physicists who responded to the survey, 44% have now obtained their PhD degrees, compared with 25% in 2002, when the first survey was conducted. Despite all odds these women continue to improve themselves through determination and hard work. Almost all of them were trained in the country, and hence have little interaction with researchers outside. About 56% of the respondents specialized in applied physics, such as geophysics (25%), radiation and health physics (19%), and engineering and material physics (12%). About 44% specialized in condensed-matter or theoretical physics. Adequate facilities for research work in Nigeria are often hard to find. The numbers of women in theoretical physics and geophysics in the country may be attributed to the role model provided by the two female professors of physics in the country. Women physicists have made substantial contributions to research in condensed-matter physics and theoretical physics; they have contributed extensively to research in nonlinear dynamics and statistical mechanics. However, most Nigerian women in physics with very young children still have the problem of coping with both research work and family responsibilities. Figure 1 shows the age distribution of female physicists according to the survey. Female physicists within the age bracket of 31–35 have the highest representation (33%), while the age bracket of >45 has the lowest (7%). Thus, more young women have specialized in physics recently.