Research Methodologies in Science Education: Gender and the Geosciences

Allison, a postdoc in structural geology, is in the process of applying and interviewing for jobs. She and a number of her graduate school friends, both men and women, are also applying for jobs, and meet up at the Geological Society of America annual meeting to discuss their experiences. Much to her surprise, Allison finds out that her friends have had similar experiences, learning that most geology departments have few or no female faculty. Allison suddenly finds herself reflecting on herself as a woman in science, something that never seemed particularly important before. She realizes that although she went to a small liberal arts college, she only had one female instructor as an undergraduate (and not in science), and actually never had a female instructor in graduate school. Looking back, Allison realizes that only 10% of the geology faculty in graduate school were women, although it seemed like half of her fellow graduate students were women. Suddenly, Allison begins to wonder why so few women are geoscience faculty, and if her gender will affect her chances of landing a faculty position. MYTHS OR REALITY IN GENDER DISCUSSIONS What are the realities of being a woman in science in the 21st century? What are the common beliefs held by the community at large, and how do these beliefs about gender reflect reality? During a recent symposium on women in science convened by Radcliffe (http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/~wishr/), a number of stereotypes about gender peppered the conversation, often with an assumption of the truthfulness of these statements. Four ideas dominated the discussion, primarily that: 1. Women have low confidence: One speaker stated, "Women aren't as confident as men". 2. Women are more modest than men: The comment, "Women don't like to talk about their accomplishments", cropped up again and again. 3. Women are less productive than men because women are perfectionists: One speaker stated, "Men are eager to publish results; women take too long trying to make a study perfect". 4. Women prefer to cooperate rather than compete: One speaker stated, "Women prefer to cooperate, while men are more amenable to science's competitive environment". Interestingly, the female speakers making these statements attributed them to other women, not themselves, and saw themselves as "outside the norm". This column will assess the literature on gender, gender differences, and science to 1) address the veracity of these ideas and 2) look at the issues that may be influencing the gender inequity that still exists in many science and engineering fields. IS THIS A PROBLEM? DO WE NEED A SOLUTION? Why has so much time and energy been spent on issues related to diversity? The recent Supreme Court decision related to affirmative action at the University of Michigan suggests that diversity is a priori a desired state, and that diversity itself enriches the learning process. Although there are diverse views about the inherent value of diversity, some have suggested that an inclusive attitude broadens perspective, allowing new ideas to evolve, and strengthens and invigorates the overall productivity of a discipline. In simpler terms, a lack of diversity suggests that an environment may be hostile to some groups, prohibiting perhaps the most talented members of society, regardless of demographic factors, from intellectually enriching that environment. With respect to gender, any field that is unwelcoming to either men or women is limiting fully half of the workforce from participating, creating a situation that is wasteful of potential. In the sciences, attention to demographic changes over time and research studies have shown that the gender gap increases at higher education levels. Discussed in more detail below, it is clear that in the physical sciences, including Earth, Atmospheric, and Ocean Sciences, women are less likely to complete graduate degrees than men, and even less likely to continue in certain careers, particularly in academia. …