Reports accumulated by the National Academy of Sciences show that females are intellectually capable of pursuing fields in math and science but are discouraged to do so because of “outmoded institutional structures.”
An expert panel of 18 members assembled by the Academy discussed the report, “Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering” and suggested ways to encourage more women to establish strongholds in math and science.
The panel refuted the idea that women are innately incapable of performance in these fields, as other studies have suggested, and acknowledged that there has been a sharp increase in women enrolling in difficult math and science courses.
Still, however, the number of male professors in these fields outweighs the number of female professors, and minority female professors are almost nonexistent.
“Women students show just as much aptitude and confidence as male students in science courses,” said biology professor Shelley Phelan.
Phelan also recognizes the relatively low number of women involved in chemistry and physics, more so on the professorial level.
“It is important that role models and faculty members in the department are present and encouraging to female students so that they realize that though the fields are both time constricting and demanding, a family can still be maintained,” she added.
Chemistry professor Kraig Steffen agreed.
“There is nothing that suggests that males are more apt in science than are females,” he said.
In terms of higher-level professions, however, he acknowledges that “the bias tends to be in upper management levels, at the level of becoming a full professor, as there is a preponderance of males here.
This is not to say that males are more eligible; it is simply due to our culture that expects women to rear children and be unable to produce at a rate consistent with promotion,” Steffen said.
Fellow chemistry professor Amanda Harper also agreed.
“The only inequality between males and females in math and science is in the number of professors at large research universities, who are mainly men,” said Harper.
The majority of chemistry majors at Fairfield, said Steffen, are women. The University as well as the chemistry department has continued to encourage this increase.
Fairfield has undoubtedly been supportive of women in math and science. The majority of science majors here, namely biology and chemistry, are women.
The women of math and science floor has also been one of Fairfield’s prime attempts to encourage women to pursue these fields. The females living on the floor are given mentors in the math and science departments, as well as opportunities to become involved in their majors outside of the classroom.
“It’s good because it gives women a chance to be together and use each other as resources,” said Tara Kalberer ’08, RA of the math and science wing in Gonzaga Hall.
Though Fairfield is encouraging the increase, the question of why women do not pursue these fields still lingers.
“I took a feminism class, and I remember learning that certain subjects tend to attract certain genders,” said Jenn Valente, a senior biology major. “For example, men are likely to pursue science and engineering, whereas women are likely to pursue English and literature. Still, there are more female science majors at Fairfield.”
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