Retention Of Women In Science Research Articles

Media representation and gender bias in science

Research on gender bias in science has often focused on the effects of gender stereotypes or a lack of female role models on the recruitment and retention of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, or on the discrimination women scientists face. Systemic bias fuels, and is cyclically reinforced by, media representations of scientists (who are most often presented as white men). While many proposed interventions to address gender inequality in science focus on changing women’s beliefs or behaviour to help them succeed, more inclusive representation of scientists could meaningfully contribute to reshaping the cultural beliefs that act on both genders to deny women opportunities and produce inhospitable learning and working environments.

Using a Social Ecological Model Framework for Advancing the Careers of Women in Science in Academic Medical Centers

Social Ecological Models (SEMs) offer a multilevel framework highlighting the dynamic, interdependent relationships between individuals, behaviors, and their social context. While this approach has been developed within the fields of public health and community psychology, in this paper we explore the applications of the SEM framework to gender equity initiatives. This case study is based on our experiences with the NSF-funded Center for ARROWS (Advancement, Recruitment, and Retention of Women in Science) at the [blinded for review]. ARROWS was designed to cast a broad net of change to support faculty gender equity and increase the number of women in leadership positions. In addition to utilizing a SEM framework to design ARROWS, a SEM Mapping Exercise was conducted as part of the evaluation, which revealed indirect impacts and some unanticipated gaps. The multilevel framework offered by SEM guides practitioners and evaluators to create institutional transformation. This case study is meant to serve as an example of the application of the SEM framework to a project designed to advance gender equity within one institution.

Women Chemists Committee names its 2020 Rising Stars

The American Chemical Society Women Chemists Committee has named the recipients of its 2020 Rising Star Awards, which recognize exceptional early-to-midcareer women chemists across all areas of chemistry on a national level. The awards were established in 2011 to help promote the retention of women in science. The 2020 winners are Christine Aikens of Kansas State University, Anne K. Bentley of Lewis & Clark College, Kayla N. Green of Texas Christian University, Amy C. Hart of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Leslie M. Hicks of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Katherine L. Hull of Aramco Research Center–Houston, Ayanna Jackson of Corteva Agriscience, Corinne Lipscomb of 3M, Susan Odom of the University of Kentucky, and Mou Paul of Dow. The winners will receive a stipend to cover travel expenses to an award symposium to highlight their work at the ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting in Philadelphia.

WCC names 2019 Rising Stars

The American Chemical Society Women Chemists Committee has named the recipients of its 2019 Rising Star Awards, which recognize exceptional early-to-midcareer women chemists across all areas of chemistry on a national level. The awards were established in 2011 to help promote retention of women in science. The 2019 winners are Annmarie Carlton, University of California, Irvine; Antonella Converso, Merck Research Laboratories; Negar Garizi, DowDuPont; Eranda Nikolla, Wayne State University; and Marilyne Stains, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The winners will receive a stipend to cover travel expenses to the Spring 2019 ACS National Meeting in Orlando, where they will present their research.

How a subtle bias influences retention

Diversity Why do gender disparities in different science fields continue to persist? Grunspan et al. took a closer look at the social environment women experience in science classrooms. Students and instructors in three sections of the same undergraduate biology course were asked at multiple points during the semester to name the students they considered knowledgeable about course content. After controlling for differences in performance and outspokenness, females nominated their male and female peers equitably, whereas male students received more recognition from other males than did their female classmates. Further analysis showed that gender bias among male students was 19 times stronger than among females. The favoring of males by their peers may play a role in the retention of women in science. PLOS One 10.1371/journal.pone.0148405 (2016)

The Retention of Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: A Framework for Persistence

<p>Women make up 47% of the total U.S. workforce, but are less represented in engineering, computer sciences, and the physical sciences. In addition, race and ethnicity are salient factors and minority women comprise fewer than 1 in 10 scientist or engineer. In this paper, a review of the literature is under taken that explores the many challenges women encounter when pursing a career in the sciences. It includes a review of the national landscape and discussion of the guiding general retention theories. Finally it proposes a conceptual framework for persistence and proffers a number of research questions designed to delve deeper into the under representation phenomenon.</p>

Hidden in Plain Sight: Locating, Validating, and Advocating the Stigma Experiences of Women of Color

In this commentary, we reflect and expand on Remedios and Snyder’s (2015) target paper “How Women of Color Detect and Respond to Multiple Forms of Prejudice.” We, initially, address the perceived lack of available women of color participants for human behavior studies conducted in the United States. We offer remedies to this expectation of deficits in order for researchers to retool their recruitment plans for traditional undergraduate subjects. Specifically, we highlight the changing demographic profiles of U.S. undergraduate students and we draw attention to potentially overlooked campus-based sources of women of color participants. Next, we discuss validated measures for researchers interested in assessing individuals with multiply-stigmatized group identities. The individual difference measures (double consciousness and chronic ostracism experiences) as well as an explicit evaluation (Strong Black Woman schema) may inform pending research examining group processes, health-related indicators, and predicted behaviors. Moreover, we identify critical areas of psychological research that can inform administrators of public policies and enlighten stakeholders for institutional transformations. In particular, we focus on factors that affect representation and retention of women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields in the Unites States. In sum, these suggestions have extensive implications for enhancing research on the stigma experiences and responses to prejudice for women of color, by providing U.S. researchers with practical solutions for recruiting women of color and measuring their experiences.

Using implicit bias training to improve attitudes toward women in STEM

Implicit biases can foster negative attitudes and lead to damaging stereotypical behaviors. Stereotypes can negatively affect the education, hiring, promotion, and retention of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This study evaluated the impact of diversity training on university faculty ( $$N = 234$$ ) by assessing changes in implicit associations and explicit attitudes toward women in STEM. Personal implicit associations about women in STEM improved for men, but not for women who already tended toward more positive implicit associations at pre-test. Men were more likely than women to explicitly endorse stereotypes about women in STEM at both pre- and post-test, and these attitudes did not change as a result of the diversity training. These findings suggest that participation in a brief diversity training can improve implicit associations about women in STEM.

Gender and Science: Women Nobel Laureates

AbstractWomen and their creativity are underrepresented in science. To date, few women have been awarded the Nobel Prize in science. Eleven female Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry and physiology/medicine between 1901 and 2006 were compared with 37 males who received the Nobel Prize in the same area one year prior and one year after the women. Data analyzed included birth order, marital status, children, awards (Fulbright, Rhodes, and number of honorary awards received), highest education level and Nobel mentor. Results indicated that female Nobel laureates were significantly less likely to marry and have children. When female laureates had children, they had significantly fewer children than male laureates. Female laureates also had fewer publications than their male counterparts. Our findings suggest that eminent women scientists tend to choose the pursuit of scientific discovery over starting families more often than eminent male scientists. More resources are needed in order to nurture and enhance the recruitment and retention of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Identification with multiple social groups: The moderating role of identity change over time among women-scientists

The current study examined change in identity centrality as a moderator of interference between the woman and scientist identities and subsequent negative outcomes in a longitudinal study of 128 women-scientists. Results indicated that higher Time 1 interference was associated with lower well-being, identity satisfaction, and science performance perceptions at Time 2. Further, Time 2 depression and woman satisfaction were buffered from Time 1 identity interference for women-scientists who increased their gender identification over time. Similarly, Time 2 self-esteem, woman satisfaction, and science performance perceptions were buffered from Time 1 interference for women-scientists who increased their scientist identification over time. We discuss reasons for the buffering roles of both identities as well as implications for the retention of women in science.

African Women Pursuing Graduate Studies in the Sciences: Racism, Gender Bias, and Third World Marginality

This paper illuminates some of the factors that shape the educational goals and outcomes of African women who pursued graduate studies in scientific disciplines at western universities between the 1960s and 1990s. Based on a qualitative study of 15 African women scientists, almost all of whom are employed in academic institutions in their respective countries, I examine how racism, Third World location, and gender bias affected their graduate education experiences in scientific disciplines. The study also addresses the extent to which the women were aware of how these factors affected how they were perceived and mentored by professors, interacted with peer groups, as well as managed the demands of graduate school along with marriage and family relations. The study demonstrates why issues of diversity are salient to the discourse on ways to address the recruitment and retention of women in science.

A Six‐Year Longitudinal Study of Undergraduate Women in Engineering and Science*

AbstractIn 1991, the Women in Engineering (WIE) Initiative at the University of Washington was funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to conduct a longitudinal study of undergraduate women pursuing degrees in science or engineering. Cohorts of approximately 100 students have been added to the study each year, for a current total of 672 participants. The objectives are: (a) to determine an accurate measure of retention by tracking individual students through their science and engineering academic careers; (b) to examine factors affecting retention of women in science and engineering; and (c) to evaluate the effectiveness of WIE's programs targeted at increasing enrollment and retention of women in science and engineering. These programs include interventions primarily during the freshman and sophomore years, which are critical attrition points. The results of this study are reported annually to the Dean of Engineering and related departments for consideration in policy formulation. Annual results of the study have shown consistent patterns of persistence factors and barriers for these high‐achieving women; most notably a significant drop in academic self‐confidence during their freshman year in college. In addition, individual tracking of these women has shown a retention that is much higher than the estimated national average for engineering and science students.

Fixing the leaky pipeline: women scientists in academia.

Although the number of women receiving doctorates and in academic positions has increased over the past 20 yr, females still are under-represented on university faculties. The extent of and reasons for this inequity are discussed. There are four critical periods that influence the retention of women in science: early childhood, adolescence, college, and the graduate school/job entry period. For each of the later three periods, the paper addresses the relationship between self-esteem and job performance, the quality and impacts of classroom interactions, and the role of the advisor/mentor. In addition, some of the difficulties in combining career and family responsibilities are considered. Effective networking and mentoring play an important role at the faculty level. If our goal is to have a scientific community open equally to all members of the general population, it is necessary to keep adolescent girls involved in math and science and to maintain their self-esteem. New faculty need to be more completely included in departmental and professional activities through both formal programs and good neighborliness on the behalf of existing faculty.