International Workshop on
Asian Networking of Women in Science and Technology
Nagoya, September 29, 2006

Women in Physics in China
Ling-An Wu 吴令安
Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Beijing, China
中国科学院物理研究所

Outline• Background of IUPAP Working Group on Womenin Physics• Women in physics in mainland China• Outstanding Chinese women physicists• Disturbing factors• Looking ahead1

IUPAP Working Group on Women inPhysics• In 1980s APS study revealed:– No of physics majors going down
– Future faces serious lack of physicists– Should make better use of women resources• 1999 IUPAP approved setting up WGWIP• 2000/6 WGWIP first meeting, Washington– 11 representatives (2 men) from 10 countries

WGWIP in White House, June 2002

Photo taken by Hidetoshi Fukuyama

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WGWIP Conferences
2002/3 International Conference on Women inPhysics (Paris)
65 countries and regions, >300 representatives (10% men)

2005/5 2nd International Conference on Women inPhysics (Rio de Janeiro)
42 countries and regions, >140 representatives (<10% men)

Discussion topics
1. Balancing Family and Career
2. Launching a Successful Physics Career
3. Attracting Girls into Physics
4. Getting Women into the Physics Power Structure
Nationally and Internationally
5. Improving the Institutional Structure and Climate for
Women in Physics
6. Learning from Regional Differences:

3

WGWIP activities• Conference resolutions endorsed by IUPAP• Make physics societies realize there is a problem• Surveys conducted, identify problems• Networks established• IUPAP travel grants for 3rd world women– 12 per year, already 5 years

Dec 2005 IUPAP President’s letter
Also in considering requests forconference grants, we do not award
funds if women are not represented
on the Organizing Committee, wheretheir presence
will hopefully lead to an increased
number of women physicists as
invited speakers.

4Women in Physics in Asia
2002/9 CPS establishes WGWIP
2004/10 AAPPS hold 9th APPC Hanoi
Round table discussion on WIP>60 participants, 50% men

2005/11 Pohang APCTP International Workshop on Asian
Women in Physics
6 countries and regions, >40 attendees

Decision to set up AAPPS WGWIP, approved by
AAPPS in 2006

China Mainland• One of the fastest developing economies in theworld• Tremendous new opportunities for women in allfields including physics• Women face new problems and challenges due torapid changes in social values?
Is there a problem?
Are men and women “still equal”?

51991–2004 Peking Univ Senior High School
No. of Graduates Admitted as Physics Majors

number80

total no70

no of girls

90
80

60

% of girls

70
60

50

50
40

40
30

% of girls

100

90

30

20

20
101000
1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

year

Physics Undergraduate Enrollmentin Nanjing University

45

400

total no350

no of women

number300% of women

40
35
30

250

25

200

20150

15

100

1050

50

% of women

450053 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99

year

6Physics Undergraduate Enrollment inBeijing Normal UniversityThe ratio of female physics undergraduates in normal
universities is consistently higher
60

160
total nono of women% of women

number

120

5040

100
80

30

60

20% of women

14040
10200073

75

77

79

8183

85

87

89

91

93

95

9799

year

Percentage of Female Graduate Students
in All Subjects in Shanghai
Ten thousand

Male MS students
Female MS students
Male PhD students
Female PhD students

7

1978–2001 Physics MS Graduate Enrollment inShanghai Jiaotong (Communications) U.

3530

femaletotal

number

252015105077 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01*

year

1991–2004 Physics MS Graduate Enrollment inShanghai Jiaotong (Communications) U.

30

Total No
No of women% of women

20

16

number

25

20

1215
8
104501990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

02004

year

8

1991–2004 Physics PhD Graduate Enrollment
in Shanghai Jiaotong Univ
3630

Total No
No of women% of women

2532
28
24

number20
201516121085401990

01992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

year

Reasons why female graduate
students are increasing
Right reasons ??
• Women realize they have better chances?
• Women score higher in exams?
Wrong reasons ??
• Harder for women to find jobs
• Men score lower in exams

9Physics Faculty
Total No.
Full ProfYear

No. Female
Full Prof

Total No.
Associate
ProfNo. Female
Assoc Prof

Total No.
Lecturers

No. Female
Lecturers

Shanghai Jiaotong U. Faculty
2001

35

1 2.8%

37

9 24.3%164 25.0%

2004

37

3 8.0%

35

7 20.0%167 43.0%30

13 43.0%102 20.0%

Fudan U. Faculty20043013.3%

Number of senior research staff
in CAS Institute of Physics
1995-2004
200180160

Female FullProf
Male FullProfFemale
Assoc Prof
Male AssocProf

Number140
120
10080
60
40
200
1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Year

10

Institute of Metal Physics, CAS
No. of Full Profs

No. of Assoc. Profs

YearTotal

Female % Female

Total

Female % Female

2000

101

109.9

209

37

17.7

2001

107

8

7.5

196

35

17.9

2002

105

65.7

195

34

17.4

2003

103

76.8

201

33

16.4

2004

101

76.9

208

36

17.3

1986-2000 Ratio of Women Awarded
NNSFC Grants in Physics
to ta l n u m b e r
no. of wom en% of women

151040 05number80 00< 30

3 1 -4 0% of women

120 004 1 -5 0

51 -6 0

6 1-7 0>70

age p eriod

112001-04 NNSFC Grants AwardedOrdinary Grants:

2001 2002 2003 2004
Total No.
No. of Women% of Women

1108
127
11.5

1348
177
13.1

1470
197
13.4

1723
206
12.0

Major Grants:
Total No.
No. of Women% of Women

10055123
64.9

154
5
3.25

177
84.5

Ratio of Women Awarded Ordinary NNSFC
Grants Ranked by Age
25.00%
20.00%

200120022003
2004

15.00%10.00%
5.00%

26-3
31 0-336 5-4
41 0-446 5-51 50-556 5-661 0-666 5-770 0以
上0.00%

Age range

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Ratio of Women Awarded Major
NNSFC Grants Ranked by Age
0.2
0.18
0.16
0.14
0.12
0.1
0.08
0.06
0.04
0.02
025
以下26-331 0-336 5-4
41 0-446 5-551 0-5
56 5-6
61 0-666 5-7
70 0
以
上2001
2002
2003
2004

Disturbing Factors• Changing policies• Job discrimination• Age discrimination– Young Investigators’ Grants– Retirement age• Marriage and child care

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Actions of CPS WGWIP• Special March issue of Physics magazine each yearwith articles on women in physics• Round table meeting to discuss women issues at
Annual CPS meeting• Special girl’s prize in certain provincial Physics
Olympiads• Increased participation in physics for the public• Interaction with media• …..

Ru-Song Zhou
Hong Jing
Ming-Zhen Wang
Lan-Ying Lin
Cheng-Shu Wang
Lin Li
Ze-Hui He
Xi-De Xie

2005 WYP Poster #27 honoring Women in Physics in China

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2005 WYP Poster #21 honoring Women in Physics in the World

Physics Enlightens the World
2005 April 19, 17:00 to 21:00
Light Chain across China

100,000 students, half ofwhom were girls, took partin all kinds of physics
activities

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Role Models and Award Winners• “March 8 Red Banner Bearers”• Biennual nomination of CAS
Outstanding Women Scientists started
in 2003– 2005 10 selected, of which 2 in physics, 2applied physics• 2003 l’Oréal-UNESCO Prize• 2004-5 Ye Qi-Sun Prize

2003 l’Oréal-UNESCO Prizeawarded to Fang-Hua LI
Fang-Hua LI
Institute of Physics, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing,has specialized in electron
microscopy. Her work has pushed
back the limits of observation of
crystalline structures through theelimination of interference.

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2004-5 Ye Qi-Sun Prize awarded toHua-Chen HU•Born 1933; trained in nuclear reactor physics; retired
1989•Became interested in neutron diffraction in 1960’s, in
1993 successfully applied her expertise in nuclear
physics to solve the 70-year old extinction problem in
diffractometry through the general solution of Darwin’s
transfer equation•Extended results to cylindrical and spherical crystals•Results for imperfect crystals applied to the design of
X-ray and neutron scattering monochromators in
Grenoble•Invited to rewrite a chapter in 2004 edition ofInternational Tables for Crystallography Vol.C.

Summary• The ratio of women in physics research has
decreased slightly, but that of students andprofessors has not changed much
• The number of women graduate students isincreasing• The number of women awarded research grants
is increasing slowly• Much still needs to be done to help womenenter top positions in research and university

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Looking ahead• Xie Xi-De Award for women inpreparation• Increase working group membership• Increase awareness of problem at toplevels• Increase popularization of physics

Women physicists of the future!

Mother and daughter look at the set of 51 WYP posters
2005 Fuzhou

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