Isabel de Moraes on the issue of women in the sciences

Earlier this year, an esteemed Nobel Laureate shot into the national spotlight when, speaking at a meeting about women in science, he apparently joked that “girls in the lab” were troublesome because “you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them, they cry”.

His remarks engendered a media storm, provoking a powerful backlash on social media. The controversy struck a chord, accentuating the frustrations of those who had experienced discrimination in their own careers.

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) still has a diversity problem. As of 2015, Women into Science and Engineering (WISE) data suggests that less than 15 per cent of people working in these fields are women.

And the issue begins at a young age; a recent study found that schoolgirls severely lack confidence in science and maths, frequently rating themselves as underperformers even when their results are as good as or better than boys’.

Women continue to turn away from STEM at a higher rate than men throughout their careers, in what the Government has dubbed the “leaky pipeline” effect.

A variety of initiatives have been introduced to try to remedy this issue, and we’re seeing action at the governmental level.

A recent Commons Select Committee report made numerous recommendations to tackle discrepancies from school-age onwards, whilst programmes like Athena Swan seek to address institutionalised barriers within organisations.

But we still need to do more. The issue will not be solved solely through encouraging more girls to choose STEM subjects; it won’t even be addressed in whole by legislative action. If we want to see the full potential of women realised in STEM, then we need to recognise our own unconscious bias, and we need a wider cultural shift in attitudes towards gender.

Recent research at Yale University found that a science graduate’s chances of being hired for a lab manager position were dramatically reduced simply by changing the name on the CV from ‘John’ to ‘Jennifer’. Jennifer was also found, on average, to be offered a starting salary of about $4,000 less.

This finding reflects unconscious biases that are deeply embedded in our culture.

Women are still often expected to take on a larger share of domestic duties, and yet organisations are frequently resistant to part-time working and career breaks, particularly at senior levels.

This can lead to discrimination and the marginalisation of those who need flexibility to manage their family requirements.

Is gender bias limited to science? No. But science is a demanding career choice; I frequently find myself working in the lab at 3am.

I’ve personally only been able to balance work with family-life because of the support I’ve received from my husband, colleagues, and the organisations I’ve worked for.

My experience demonstrates that women need support from all angles. It’s not enough to provide initiatives like shared parental leave; we also need to empower both men and women to take advantage of these opportunities. I still struggle with my own unconscious bias. I worry that my female post-docs will leave their careers behind to have children, but not the males.

To really address gender diversity, we need to accept the sometimes painful reality of our own bias – this is particularly true of men, but of women also.

So ask yourself – what are yours?

I know I have my own preconceptions, but by being aware of and discussing them, I believe that we can all help to alleviate some of the pressure on female scientists and open STEM up for everyone who has something to contribute.

Isabel de Moraes is co-ordinator and group leader of Diamond Light Source’s Membrane Protein Lab.