Women in Science: Progress, Challenges and the Road Ahead
Women in Science: Progress, Challenges and the Road Ahead
11.02.25 – Maria Plexida
Women have been contributing to science for centuries now, but their efforts are often underappreciated or overlooked. Despite the many advances made so far, significant gender disparities continue to persist in most scientific fields. This article pays tribute to the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11th of February), by looking into the history, achievements, challenges and future prospects for women in science.
Historical contributions
Women have been present in many scientific fields throughout history. From mathematics, astronomy and philosophy, to winning Nobel Prizes. Below, we will take a look at four of them:
Hypatia (4th century AD)
Hypatia was an astronomer, philosopher and mathematician, who lived in Alexandria in Egypt. As the head of the Neoplatonist school in Alexandria, she taught mathematics, astronomy and philosophy, attracting students from all over the Mediterranean.
Hypatia was murdered in 415 AD by a Christian mob, who viewed her as a threat due to her pagan beliefs and association with Roman officials.
Marie Curie (1867–1934)
Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie was a Polish physicist and chemist and the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Her contribution on radioactivity was noteworthy, as she helped develop radiation therapy for cancer treatment. She was also the first female professor at the Sorbonne, but she faced challenges being denied membership in the French Academy of Sciences.
Rosalind Franklin (1920–1958)
Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist and X-Ray crystallographer. She is best known for her contributions to the discovery of the molecular structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Despite her work and contributions, she was greatly overlooked, with credit going to James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, who received the Nobel Prize in 1962 for the discovery of DNA’s double helix.
Katherine Johnson (1918–2020)
Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician who, for more than three decades in the U.S. space program, calculated and analyzed flight paths of many spacecraft. She helped determine the flight path for the first moon landing. Katherine’s father, Joshua Coleman, aided to encourage her potential, driving 120 miles to ensure she could complete high school. She thrived, skipping grades, graduating at 14 and completing her college degree by 18.
Current Status and Challenges
Despite the improvements, the gender gap still exists in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.). Although more women are joining these fields, they encounter many systemic barriers that delay their advancement.
1. Underrepresentation in Leadership Roles
Women earn a large percentage of science degrees, but they are under-represented in roles as professors, department heads and corporate officers.
Why it Matters:
- As womens’ careers grow, fewer women remain in the profession due to discrimination, a lack of opportunity or workplace culture.
- Female scientists who achieve leadership positions are frequently pushed to higher standards or criticized harsher than their male counterparts.
In 2023, women made up only 28% of university professors in S.T.E.M. fields, although accounting for nearly 50% of PhD grads in certain specialties.
2. Gender Pay Gap
Women in S.T.E.M., while qualified and experienced as their male counterparts, receive considerably less compensation.
Why It Matters:
- Pay gaps discourage women from continuing in S.T.E.M., especially in academia, where the pay is lower compared to jobs in industry.
- Throughout the lifetime, the gap in pay affects women’s accumulated wealth, choices and even retirement security.
- The gap in these fields could be even more critical in areas where the demand for certain professionals is huge, like in engineering and technology.
Example: It has been recorded that women scientists earn 17-20 percent less than male scientists for the same position.
3. Lack of Female Role Models and Mentors
With fewer women in leadership, young women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math often lack mentors who might advise them through the ups and downs of a scientific career.
Why It Matters:
- Role models provide inspiration-when women see successful female scientists, they are more likely to envision themselves in similar roles.
- Women mentors can help overcome problems, such as facing bias or negotiating salaries.
- Lack of women in senior positions creates a vicious circle: in the absence of mentoring, fewer women remain in the field and therefore reduce the pool of future mentors.
Example: In certain areas of S.T.E.M., less than 10% of the senior faculty members are women, therefore often leaving a young female scientist without an example to look up to.
Progress and Initiatives
Many organizations and programs work towards the advancement of women in science, including:
- UNESCO and UN Women’s initiatives: Encouragement of girls’ S.T.E.M. education across the world.
- Athena SWAN Charter (UK): Advancement of gender equality in higher education and research.
- Women in Science Awards: Recognizing female scientists’ achievements.
- Visibility and recognition through #WomenInSTEM social media movements.
More universities and companies now have policies of parental leave, mentorship programs and hiring practices that incorporate more gender inclusion.
The road ahead
1. STEM Education for girls
Encourage the girls from a young age to take an interest in science. Schools should offer STEM programs, providing mentorship opportunities to break stereotypes that S.T.E.M. is a male dominated world.
2. Women in Leadership
More women in positions of leadership inspire younger generations. Universities and research institutions can actively support career advancement through mentoring, leadership development and gender diversity policies to encourage more women in senior positions.
3. End Bias and Discrimination
There is unconscious bias in hiring and promotion decisions, as well as in research funding. Bias-awareness training and transparent hiring and promotion processes that hold individuals accountable can create a more level playing field.
4. Inspire Male Allyship
Men in the sciences can play an important role in supporting gender equity. This can manifest in the way they mentor, support equal pay or show bias when witnessing it. Changing workplace culture in this regard has much to do with solidarity.
To summarise
Women have been contributing and putting their effort and knowledge in science despite systemic challenges. Though the situation has indeed improved, actual equality is still many miles away. The full potential of women in science will be tapped when the scientific community works actively to create an enabling and supportive environment, including mentorship programs, equal opportunities for funding, hiring practices that are blind to gender and workplace policies that enable work-life balance.
This calls for women and men to advocate for systemic change from the very beginning, so that girls see strong and powerful role models and feel empowered to pursue a career in S.T.E.M.
By tearing down barriers, we can aspire to the dream of a world where women’s contributions to science are not only recognized but fully embraced and celebrated. The future of science is dependent on the talent, firmness of will and brilliance of all individuals, despite their gender. Empowering women in S.T.E.M. today, allows the construction of a stronger, more innovative scientific future for future generations.