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