“I hadn’t been aware that there were doors closed to me until I started knocking on them,” are famous words by Gertrude B. Elion; a biochemist and pharmacologist, she shared this sentiment upon receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1988 alongside George H. Hitchings and Sir James W. Black. Thirty-five years later, her words still ring true for women striving to break through barriers within the fields of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM).
Over recent decades, women have achieved significant milestones in STEM. A 2024 Forbes article reports that 45% of STEM students in the United States are now women. While this progress suggests that the gender gap is slowly closing, we are far from achieving gender parity. Alarmingly, the same article states that 40-50% of women leave their STEM careers within 5-7 years of starting.
This leads to the question: Does the gender gap in STEM still exist in academia?
A recent MIT article addressed the gender gap in STEM during 2023, stating that only 24% of the STEM workforce in the United States is comprised of women.This percentage further drops to 17% in the European Union, 16% in Japan, and 14% in India. Additionally, a 2016 study by Colorado State University found that gender bias persists in STEM classrooms, even when women outperform men.
The need to bridge this gap exists not only at the undergraduate level but also at the postdoctoral level. The Royal Society of Chemistry observed that female representation declines at each stage of the publication process, with success rates of female authors being lower than those of male authors. This pattern is so widespread that it has been dubbed the “leaky pipeline.” Another study on gender imbalance in chemistry authorship predicts that, at the current rate, women will not achieve equal representation in journal authorship for another 50 years.
Many of these gaps are attributed to exclusionary behaviours and biases against women in STEM fields, which often results in malpractice in science and medicine. A stark example is Tokyo Medical School’s admission that it manipulated entrance exam scores for over a decade to limit the number of female students accepted. Investigations revealed that the school reduced all applicants’ first-stage test scores by 20% and then awarded a minimum of 20 additional points to male applicants. Media reports alleged that the scores of female applicants were altered based on assumptions that women would quit practising medicine after starting families. Today, many pioneering women in science are celebrated and serve as role models, yet their achievements are often exceptions, not the norm.
For women’s achievements to become a standard, creating safe and supportive environments at every stage of education is essential; these safe spaces are judgement-free zones for women to explore and grow in the exploratory field of science. Various societies have been formed by women themselves who have recognised the need for these ‘safe spaces’ in University. At UoM for instance, the Feminist Collective serves as a community for feminists, while the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) society supports women studying in STEM.
Founded in 2004, WISE provides a safe and inclusive space for women and non-binary people in STEM, celebrating those who came before them, those who are pursuing STEM now, and those who will do so in the future. The society helps members connect and network supports them through career events, and inspires younger people in the wider Manchester community through outreach. They believe everyone deserves a place at the table, and they strive to achieve this through their events and community.
“If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,” Shirley Chisholm, an American Congresswoman, advised her friend and former activist Donna Brazile. Nearly two decades after her passing, the leaky pipeline remains a persistent barrier. Until it’s fixed, there must be enough folding chairs for all.
