Where are the women scientists?

The main reason that I'm posting this is because I believe that science is a gender-neutral profession. I also believe that women are smarter than men. The fact that not that many women go into science is disheartening because it denies humanity a good deal of scientific advancement.

The facts about women in science are abysmal. Only 9% of U.S. physicists are women. Women earn 83-87% of a man's salary, and this is even worse when it comes to science careers. Women PhD's earn 20% less than equivalent men in science careers and teaching. The bottom line is that women are far behind men in science careers, and if they're persons of color, the situation is even grimmer. These statistics are atrocious. Something is wrong with the education system or society because women are definitely smart enough to do science. In fact, they're smarter in many cases than men.

The fact is that women have made significant contributions to science down through the ages. This is despite the fact that women were excluded from universities. The ancient Greek study of natural philosophy (what science was called back then) was open to women. Hypatia of Alexandria wrote books on geometry, algebra and astronomy in the 1st century. Medieval women were noted for work in medicine. Dorotea Bucca was one of several important Italian physicians. During the 16th and 17th centuries, women made headways into universities in Europe. However, no women were allowed into the Royal Society of London or the French Academy of Sciences. There were noted women scientists in the 18th century, including Laura Bassi, Margaret Cavendish, Maria Sibylla Merian and Eva Ekeblad. Never heard of them? I'm not surprised. The only scientists of notoriety in this period were men.
There are some noted women scientists in the early 20th century: Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel prize in physics is known by most people. The rest are lost to history.

So, what the heck happened to cause this disparity?

Some blame it on a gender bias. Science is supposed to be an exclusive boy's club. Someone said that only scientists with beards should be allowed in the profession. That's ridiculous. The most egregious bias against women occurred in the 1960's when the two scientists credited (Nobel prize) for discovering the double helix structure of DNA denied Rosalind Franklin from having any credit. It was her painstakingly accurate X-ray diffraction data that allowed them to make one of the greatest discoveries in science. Watson once said: "The best place for a feminist is in another person's lab", which then would be in a man's lab.

Back in the day women were afraid to look feminine if they were in a science lab. They often dressed in a man's clothing and never wore revealing clothes or used lipstick. These women equated masculinity as being a desired persona; all of this because of a stupid gender bias that persists to this day.
Many more women that choose a science career go into 'soft' sciences like biology, zoology and psychology. Men dominate chemistry, physics and engineering. Women still are much less represented in those sciences. In addition, women typically don't earn as many PhD's in science when compared to men, and if they do have a doctorate, they routinely don't make as much money as an equivalent male.

Part of the reason that women don't go into science is because they have little support from parents or teachers. Many parents figure that their daughters will end up getting married and don't need to go into a man's profession. Some teachers tell girls to go into nursing, biology and careers like that rather than into astronomy, chemistry and physics. Since women have little support they often have trouble with exams when they start in a science curriculum. This often results in a change in course that leads out of a science career.

When I was in the university, I didn't see many women in my classes like Thermodynamics, Differential Equations, Advanced Calculus, Kinetics, and other advanced subjects. I saw some women in the beginning chemistry courses because they were working for a medical degree.

The strange thing is that this bias still exists. It's not unlike what happens in typical male careers like steel workers, construction, police, and military. Although a smattering of women have gone into these once all-male jobs, they represent a tiny fraction of what should be the case. The U.S. military is only just now beginning to allow women into Special Forces training. I can understand the bias in these he-man jobs, but not in science. There's nothing manly about science. It's a thinking profession, and women are just as capable of thinking as men are. Women are more organized and better at communication than men. They make excellent scientists.

We're probably never going to see a day when there is no sexism. The constant barrage of images that depict women as sex objects doesn't help this situation. The truth is that girls should be encouraged to pursue a science career. You can aid in this goal by urging girls to take the science curriculum in high school. When people think of a scientist they conjure up an image of Einstein or Sheldon from 'The Big Bang Theory' TV series. That's sad.

Thanks for reading.