The UK Economy Needs More Women Scientists

Article here. Excerpt:

'British MPs have just made public an extensive report into the status of women in scientific careers, and it’s full of well-considered insights. First up: it recognises that women are really, actually, needed in STEM fields.

When discussing the role of women in science and what we can do to improve the ridiculous gender gap in senior science positions (the word used in the report is “astonishing”), people often act as if helping women into the field is somehow doing them a favour. But giving women the same opportunities as men to advance in scientific careers isn’t just good for equality; it’s necessary if we’re to meet the country’s demand for scientists and engineers, and reap the resulting economic benefits.
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The MPs then looked at why women are so poorly represented in STEM jobs, and their conclusions were obviously made up of many different points. It’s worth reading the full report if you’re interested, but their key observation was the “leaky pipeline” effect. While girls are successfully encouraged to get into science, they’re not making it to the top levels. On average, only 17 percent of professors across STEM fields are female.

The reasons for this are multiple, but one obvious one is systematic discrimination. We’ve seen study after study on gender bias in the scientific community—from rates of publication, to funding, to job opportunities—and the report thankfully doesn’t pussyfoot around the issue. Scientists both male and female, it explains, are susceptible to gender bias just like anyone else.

In fact, it even suggests that their bias is only made worse because scientists tend to see themselves as objective, which prevents them from recognising and accepting that they might subconsciously discriminate against women. “Scientists are susceptible to the same unconscious gender biases as the rest of the population and it is unfortunate that some are unwilling to accept this simply because their professional research requires them to be objective,” the committee writes.

Maternity leave is another big issue, and one that is by no means exclusive to the scientific community. The scientific career ladder doesn’t allow much for breaks to be taken, and as women almost always take more leave than men to care for children (indeed, the report found they’re often encouraged to as paternity leave is restricted), they’re left having to try to fit having a family around unsuitable working patterns. One female academic described it as “an unpleasant choice: risk not having children or risk having to restart my career in my mid-thirties.”
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The MPs also suggested more flexible working hours, better career advice, and greater support for those returning from career breaks. While many will probably see these measures (which are only suggestions for now) as “concessions” to women, the female scientists looking to progress up the career ladder don’t need to be thankful. They’re the ones fighting against a biased system, pushing research beyond its current boundaries—and contributing to an economy that needs them.'