Background/Fact Information

Female Scientists Face More Career Difficulties, More Negative Influences Than Men

Science Interest Sparked Early For Both Men And Women
Playing Field Appears Level in Childhood

WASHINGTON, DC, April 29, 1998 - Science may be a more difficult career choice for women than men, yet those difficulties aren't great enough to prevent women from pursuing it or recommending it as a profession to today's girls and young women, according to a new national survey released by Bayer and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The Bayer Facts of Science Education IV: Scientists on Science for the 21st Century, a Bayer/NSF survey conducted by Roper Starch, polled more than 1,400 male and female Ph.D. scientists who are members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It asked them, among other things, to look back on their own educational and career experiences, and on behalf of today's children, to forecast trends in science literacy and scientific advances in the new millennium.

Dr. Mae C. Jemison, former astronaut and Bayer's science literacy advocate for its Making Science Make Sense initiative, today presented key findings highlighting the opinions of male and female scientists before members of the National Press Club here at a Newsmaker Luncheon.

While a significant number of all scientists (42 percent) believe it is more difficult for women to succeed in science than men, women are more acutely aware of the problem than men (77 percent versus 35 percent). In separate informal interviews, several female scientists cited the demanding aspects of the tenure track for women who want to have families, as well as the lack of mentors for young women scientists, as posing serious challenges.

Despite these and other difficulties, however, women derive significant rewards from their profession. Nine-out-of-ten say they would be as likely to recommend a science career to young women as to young men. And, if they had to do it all over again, nearly all scientists (95 percent) say they would once more choose science as a career.

In the research, a pattern emerges that finds both men and women scientists agreeing about goals concerning science and its direction, science literacy and science education, yet diverging over personal career and classroom experiences.

"The similarities between what male and female scientists say are as important as the differences," said Dr. Jemison. "They offer real object lessons to educators, parents and those in the scientific community about what we're doing right and where we need change."

Early Equality, Later Inequity - Are We Bridging The Gap?
The good news is that girls and boys appear to begin on an equal science playing field. Both report developing an interest in science early in childhood. Some 57 percent of female and 62 percent of male scientists say they first became interested in science by the age of 10.

During those early years, more than half the women report becoming attracted to the biological sciences, while most men found the physical sciences captivating. Those interests appear to have endured, with many scientists saying they still work in the discipline that first appealed to them.

NSF data confirm The Bayer Facts IV finding that women, while still underrepresented in the sciences, have steadily increased their numbers in the workplace in the decades since World War II. Today, NSF reports there are 105,300 women with their Ph.D. in science and engineering professions versus 379,480 men.

Childhood Influences - The Good, The Bad
Parents and teachers had the most powerful impacts on males and females when it came to sparking their interest in science. While few scientists (16 percent) say they had negative experiences as children, such factors were a bigger problem for females than males. In fact, some 25 percent of women say there were factors, usually school-related, that adversely affected their interest in science.

Further, a significant number of all scientists believe that girls were encouraged less than boys in their science class, a situation recognized by more women than men and one that appears to worsen as girls move from elementary to high school. Nearly 40 percent of female scientists say girls were encouraged less than boys in elementary school, while only 25 percent of the men agreed. And, more women (45 percent) said this was a problem for girls in high school, something that only 28 percent of the men recognized.

Girls' participation in science classes also was cited as problematic, particularly by the women. An overwhelming 70 percent report less participation by high school girls, while nearly half said that was also the case in elementary school. Significantly fewer men recognized this in either high school (54 percent) or elementary school (37 percent).

"The perception gap here signals that adults of both sexes need to become more aware of the societal barriers women say they face, so that we can begin to change our behavior and, hopefully, remove some of those barriers early on," said Dr. Jemison, who went on to cite specific examples that surfaced in the research.

What Works for Both?
She said that while informal science activities like playing with science toys and doing experiments at home were important for males (85 percent and 71 percent, respectively), they were also important for girls (60 percent and 55 percent).

"The fact that chemistry sets and microscopes had an effect on this many men makes perfect sense since they were probably given them as birthday presents," explained Dr. Jemison. "What we need to ask ourselves is, 'What if more girls had access to and were encouraged to play with the same kinds of toys?'"

"The message here to parents is: forget about stereotypes and encourage your children in whatever areas interest them," said Julia Moore, director of the Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, NSF.

The good news is that female scientists report that their parents did just that, as more women than men say their parents were involved in helping them with science homework (47 percent versus 35 percent), teaching them about science informally at home (46 percent vs. 33 percent) and emphasizing science (70 percent versus 64 percent).

"That added parental emphasis may have been especially important to girls since they were encouraged less in school," said Dr. Jemison, adding that women scientists are more likely to advise today's parents to also be involved in their children's science education

Scientists Speak With One Voice
Despite their differences, male and female scientists agree on a host of "big picture" issues. For example, most predict that both the pace of scientific discovery and the impact of those discoveries on society will be greater in the 21st century than in the 20th. As a result, they're in accord over the importance of science literacy today and in the future. Most say that science literacy is very important for today's adults and more say it will be very important 10 years from now when it is likely that most jobs will require it, regardless of the industry they're in.

Given this scenario, scientists overwhelmingly believe that a solid science education should be available to all elementary and high school students - not just the most promising young would-be scientists. However, they share concerns about the low priority science is given in today's schools and the current quality of science education, assigning elementary school programs a "C-" and high schools a "C."

Based on their own experiences, most scientists say they support science education reform and, if they were to design an elementary school curriculum, would include many of the components of hands-on, inquiry-based science education advocated by the reformers.

Besides introducing methods that allow students to learn science the way they do, scientists say they likely would be willing to spend time in schools helping teachers teach and students learn science, if asked.

"There's a real opportunity and a need for everyone - scientists, parents and teachers - to work together to improve science education, ensure that boys and girls have equal access to quality education and career opportunities, and ultimately make certain that all children are well prepared for the challenges they surely will face in the 21st century," concluded Sande Deitch, executive director of the Bayer USA Foundation.

To help parents and teachers keep science alive for children, Bayer offers its Making Science Make Sense Experiment Guide, which features easy and fun experiments that are also educational. For a free copy of the guide, individuals may visit Bayer's web site at www.BayerUS.com or send a $.32-cent stamped, self-addressed business size envelope to:

Making Science Make Sense
Bayer
100 Bayer Road, Building #4
Pittsburgh, PA 15205-9741

National Science Foundation is an independent agency of the federal government established in 1950 to promote and advance scientific progress in the U.S. Since 1985, the NSF has engaged in educational public outreach, sponsoring National Science & Technology Week and other special projects to foster public understanding of science and technology and an appreciation of the roles scientific and technological research and education play in our everyday lives.

Copies of The Bayer Facts of Science Education IV executive summary and full report are available upon request from Bayer.