I’m not an anomaly – I'm just me!

First off – sorry that this is a little late! I’m now getting stuck into proper revision mode so my blogging may be a little erratic! I will aim to post approximately once every fortnight, however which day this happens to be on may change each time depending on how enthralled I am in theoretical quantum mechanics at the time (which is exciting, although I’ll admit theoretical anything is probably my least favourite part of Physics. It’s got to be done though!).

As promised, I wanted to do a post on what it’s like to study Physics as a female. Following International Women’s Day earlier in March, several interesting discussions took place about women in STEM, both in education and as a career. I would like to say from the outset – this is not a post saying that men are at fault. This is not a post that aims to point the finger and start accusing people of active discrimination. However bias does still exist in society. And there are lots of us that want to identify why, and come up with solutions to help combat it. Check out this talk from Shelley Correll, Professor of Sociology at Stanford University. She explains how women may be subject to negative bias within a work setting and suggests some solutions that may combat this. 

I'd also like to say that I have a great time studying Physics as a woman. I have great male and female friends and have role models of both genders that I look up to. Yes, it was annoying when I started my degree that so many people remembered me as "that girl" from the open day, just because as one of 7 girls in a group of 50 males my gender did make me stand out. However for the most part I've had a very positive experience of Physics education. I wanted to make this post to address the fact that so many others aren't as lucky as me. Please note I am not a psychologist though, and all the statements I make are based on information I have read in a variety of articles and research papers. I don't claim to be an expert, but I do feel justified in supporting other peoples ideas with my own experiences in life.

It is well known that less women study Physics and thus there are less women who go into careers involving Physics. So let’s look at the facts. In 2011 only 20% of A level Physics students were girls. This is despite the fact that girls perform just as well and usually outperform boys at GCSE level. Check out more statistics here, in a resource produced by the IoP. Uptake of other subjects such as Maths and Chemistry by girls is much higher than uptake of Physics. Uptake of Physics at single sex girls schools is again much higher. So why in general are less girls taking Physics at A level?

Reasons for this have been postulated for years, some of which have been widely accepted by the population. However many of these ‘reasons’ are not necessarily accurate, and in any case are not useful to teach as fact to the population at large. Let’s have a look at some of them:

·     Men’s and women’s brains are different: Yes, this is true. Studies have shown that there are differences in how men and women’s brains are structured and how they use their brains. But most studies are inconclusive about whether most of these differences are due to nature or nurture. From the time you are born you are stereotyped. In general girls play with dolls, boys play with cars and construction sets. Is it any wonder that boys and girls develop more in different areas if in their first stages of learning they are often actively encouraged to follow certain patterns? Even if men's and women's brains are inherently different surely every subject would benefit from having different ways of thinking about it, rather than restricting ourselves to the idea that one approach is best. However, more importantly, instead of arguing about whether males and females are inherently better at certain things, I think it’s more important to STOP spreading the belief that we are different just because of our gender. Books like “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” would have us all believe that nature has kitted us out for predetermined roles and that anyone who varies from the norm is an anomaly that can’t be explained. Is it not more valuable to just think of EVERYONE as unique individuals with different skills?

UPDATE: I remembered this article from the Independent. This supports the idea that the brain develops through learning, can change and thus whilst there may be small differences, most of the differences are due to our experience. 

Our brains are different - but shouldn't we recognise the fact
that we are all unqiue? Just because our brains are different
doesn't mean we shouldn't study certain subjects.

·      Girls are, from a young age, lead to believe they are bad at maths and science. This comes from toys, children’s books, TV characters (even in The Big Bang Theory, a programme that often is praised for putting a positive spin on Physics, the first ‘normal’ woman who did Physics was introduced in series 6. Series 6!) and even clothes (see here). Based on arguments like the fact that our brains are different, girls grow up with the expectation that they will be less good at maths and science, even if the evidence suggests that they aren’t actually any worse than boys. Comments such as “Isn’t that sort of a boy subject” are common but comments that “Girls are just not as good at science” terrify me most. Even parents and teachers are guilty of this, and these are people that will influence a young person’s decisions later in life. It’s also notable that this bias is not as prominent when looking at this from the opposite perspective – are there subjects that boys are inherently bad at? There are subjects that significantly less boys study (like Dance and Health and Social Care), but from my own experience and from talking to male friends about this, this is not because it is suggested that boys are automatically worse at them. Boys in those subjects may be accused of becoming less masculine but they don’t grow up with the expectation that they will be bad at them, it’s more the fact that it would be a social faux pas to take these subjects up. So yes, gender inequality does impact men as well, but I would argue a) not to the same extent and b) Gender equality benefits people of both genders anyway. Why is everyone (men and women) not working towards the same goal where no one is judged for what they find interesting? It’s not a war between men and women. It’s about allowing everyone the space to find out what they are good at for themselves.

This dog might be bad at science - not all women fall into the
same category.

·      Physics often tends to be taught in a way that does, in general, appeal to boys more than girls. Questions will usually involve scenarios that are more appealing to a male audience (footballs moving through the air, cars accelerating) and focus less on things that more girls might find more interesting. Please realise this doesn't mean make everything pink or about lipstick - that's patronising. Girls are often more inclined to want to know what real life impact something might have and more focus needs to be given to what Physics actually achieves in the world with more positive role models of both genders. Even if historically men discovered things (because they had access to the education) women are doing exciting things TODAY and this idea needs to be pushed more.

There are a myriad of other factors too, but I think it is important to show most of our preconceived ideas are challenged by evidence. Girls are as good at boys at Physics according to exam results, but choose not to continue to study Physics. I would say this therefore has more to do with a cultural expectation of what they should study rather than inherent ability. Looking at cultures that are undergoing rapid development, such as in parts of Africa and Asia the sciences are valued more in general, and women are often leading in these areas. I believe we all need to think about our preconceived ideas about who studies what and why and accept that different people like different things for different reasons. Stop labeling me as an anomaly, just recognise I am unique!

For more reading on this topic (there’s lots) here are a few articles I found interesting. Organisations such as ScienceGrrl also aims to educate people about the roles women hold in STEM subjects and hold events to discuss this and to promote STEM subjects to girls. Check out some of these links! J

Science Grrl - promoting women in STEM subjects

The Telegraph on Girls studying Physics and Maths- warning the comments are depressing!

The Government's notes on research on promoting girls in Physics

So what is it like being a Physics student?

Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't written for a while but it's all been extraordinarily busy recently! As this blog aims to demonstrate what it is like to study Physics at university, this seemed like a fairly obvious topic to begin with. However, seeing as this weekend marks International Women's Day I felt I ought to say a little on what it's like to study Physics as a female. In a nutshell, it's getting better. More and more girls are feeling able to go away and study Physics at whatever level they want to. More high profile science is being done by women. People are gradually accepting that females can study Physics and can be as good at it. I mean, you still come across some idiots who think that if you are studying Physics you are either a) deluded about being good at a 'male' subject or b) just looking for a husband. Thank goodness times are moving ahead and we are beginning to reach a stage where a woman can feel confident about entering a male dominated subject. International Women's Day is such a brilliant way to celebrate the many, diverse achievements of women from across the world, but also to highlight areas in which progress still needs to be made in terms of gender equality. However, that's enough for now. I will be doing a proper blog post about being a woman in Physics in the next few weeks so watch this space!

Anyway... what is it like doing a Physics degree? Firstly: BUSY! During your degree you really do learn what being busy really means. You will probably have one of the highest number of contact hours of any subject (around 20 hours a week). That doesn't sound too bad you think? I mean school has about 25 hours a week? The difference is in the amount of work you have to do outside of the the teaching hours, and how much more intense the teaching really is. There will be days when you really start to resent your friends on other degree programmes, who might just about manage to get in for 5 hours teaching time per week. Reading they say, we have to do lots of reading. And they're right, they do work hard too. But you know the unfair bit? The physicist also has to read -  if they have time that is! As well as the aforementioned contact hours (lectures, lab sessions, tutorials and workshops), each week there are multiple problems to complete and hand in, each of which will probably take hours to do. Add in a couple of lab reports a term, some computing projects and some poster presentations (which will inevitably all be due in at the same time) and you already have a very busy timetable. Then add the reading that we're meant to do (otherwise you'll have no idea what is going on in the course) and there are suddenly no spare hours in the day. 

Credit goes to Gary Larson, creator of The Far Side
cartoon series.

However this in turn has its own benefits. One way of looking at it? You're getting much better value for your tuition fees. And university really is all about hard work and learning at the end of the day. Physics is HARD, there are no two ways about it. But there are rewards in the end. At the same time you also do learn to make the most of the time you have. You find you can actually fit an awful lot into the day and still have time to join societies, go out, make friends and enjoy your time. Even if it means having occasional frantic panics about work. It's still worth it. For example, as well as my degree I enjoy music, including singing in my college choir. I enjoy swimming, yoga and archery. I participate in folk dance, including a recent weekend trip to Edinburgh for IVFDF - the Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival which was great. This is as well as being involved with many other societies and activities; and spending time with friends. So despite all the busyness there's a lot else to get involved with and a lot of fun to have. I mean, university is about trying new things too. It's just a case of learning how to use your time. 

Secondly: Studying Physics at university level is nothing like studying it at school. Gone are the days of A level Physics where it was all about passing exams. Passing those exams are also a distant memory - no longer are questions short, no longer does the paper lead you towards the answer they want and memories of formula booklets are now fading fast. Exams are now 3 hours long but have far fewer questions. It is no longer a memory test; instead it is a test of your understanding of the actual Physics. Instead of being given some variables that you just plug into a formula you may or may not need to remember you are expected to derive different formula. You need to use MATHS to just get towards a solution to the problem in terms of many variables before you even think about maybe plugging real numbers in. And of course your answer might not have much to do with real life at the end of it anyway. I guess that is one of the biggest differences - Physics at university is all about the maths. If you are considering a Physics degree make sure you a) actually enjoy maths just for the pure maths-y-ness of it and b) are pretty good at it. You will suddenly discover all the varied and wonderful uses for all those things you learnt at A level about which we all said "But yeah, when am I going to have to use this in real life?". I'll tell you where - in a lecture where you write several long pages of notes but never write a single word, except maybe the title. Sometimes not even then. Expect to be pretty much perpetually confused, desperately hoping everyone else is as confused as you are. Sometimes it's worse when you actually think you understand it, you can't help feeling you must have missed the point. Not even joking, questions sometimes look like this when you're feeling lost: "A roof is sloped at 42.7 degrees. A ball is dropped from a height of 1.63m. Remembering the assumption that we are working in just 3 dimensions; when an orange lorry drives past at 99.9% of the speed of light, what is the probability that a pineapple will be produced when the system is observed for the second time? Can we tell what colour it will be?"

However it's not all that bad. Lots of the degree is confusing and will make you tear your hair out but equally it will fascinate you too. You get to break out of the limitations of the physics you learn at school and learn about some really cool stuff. And feel pretty darn smart and smug when you get to quote Physics at other people. To put it briefly - it is all worth it. Yes you spend a lot of time wondering what is going on, and wondering whether you're actually going a little bit mad or whether maybe someone is playing a massive joke on you and this stuff really is just made up. But then there are moments like working out a particularly nasty solution to a complicated integral and finding that suddenly the solution you are meant to get out "just falls out so beautifully and neatly and IT JUST IS SO BEAUTIFUL". Or getting more than a little excited about how particularly stunning your graph turned out to be. (Yes. I get excited about graphs.) Or the moment when your code works so you run through your house proclaiming "IT WORKS. AND IT IS THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING I HAVE EVER CREATED". These are all the moments that make it worthwhile - despite the fact that you may look a little bit like a total weirdo. Oh well - weird is good. At least it's fun!

Credit to the creator at twisteddoodles.com

So yes, as with any degree Physics has it's ups and downs. There are plenty of boring bits (at least to you - you have to try and remember that someone somewhere thinks this is the most fascinating subject of all) but they are made worth it by the bits where everything suddenly makes sense and you finally feel like you're on top of everything. It's a bit like life really. So is it worth it? Why yes, of course!

What about you? Are you interested in pursuing Physics as a degree? Are you like me currently in the middle of it all? Or have you finished? Has your opinion changed at all? Feel free to ask any questions or add your own thoughts below!