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2015 | Buch

An International Perspective on Advancing Women in Science Kapitel lesen Erstes Kapitel lesen

Advancing Women in Science

An International Perspective

herausgegeben von: Willie Pearson, Jr., Lisa M. Frehill, Connie L. McNeely

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

Many countries have implemented policies to increase the number and quality of scientific researchers as a means to foster innovation and spur economic development and progress. To that end, grounded in a view of women as a rich, yet underutilized knowledge and labor resource, a great deal of recent attention has focused on encouraging women to pursue education and careers in science — even in countries with longstanding dominant patriarchal regimes. Yet, overall, science remains an area in which girls and women are persistently disadvantaged. This book addresses that situation. It bridges the gap between individual- and societal-level perspectives on women in science in a search for systematic solutions to the challenge of building an inclusive and productive scientific workforce capable of creating the innovation needed for economic growth and societal wellbeing.

This book examines both the role of gender as an organizing principle of social life and the relative position of women scientists within national and international labor markets. Weaving together and engaging research on globalization, the social organization of science, and gendered societal relations as key social forces, this book addresses critical issues affecting women’s contributions and participation in science. Also, while considering women’s representation in science as a whole, examinations of women in the chemical sciences, computing, mathematics and statistics are offered as examples to provide insights into how differing disciplinary cultures, functional tasks and socio-historical conditions can affect the advancement of women in science relative to important variations in educational and occupational realities.

Edited by three social scientists recognized for their expertise in science and technology policy, education, workforce participation, and stratification, this book includes contributions from an intellectually diverse group of international scholars and analysts and features compelling cases and initiatives from around the world, with implications for research, industry practice, education and policy development.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter
Chapter 1. An International Perspective on Advancing Women in Science
Abstract
Many countries have implemented policies to increase the number and quality of scientific researchers as a means to foster innovation and spur economic development. In many cases, policy interventions have sought to increase participation by those who have traditionally been underrepresented in science, with particular reference to women. Today, even in countries with persistently strong patriarchal regimes, the extension of educational opportunities to women has been framed as a means of making better use of the potential pool of science and engineering innovators (Bielli et al. 2004; UNESCO 2007, 2010; CNRS 2004; NRC 2011). Women and also, in many countries, members of ethnic minority groups traditionally have been limited in access to high-quality education, with concomitant occupational outcomes. Positing the importance of education to development and progress, universal primary education is one of the United Nation’s eight Millennium Development Goals. However, participation in the scientific workforce necessitates education far beyond the primary level—an expensive enterprise, and one in which girls and women have been persistently disadvantaged.
Lisa M. Frehill, Connie L. McNeely, Willie Pearson Jr.

Cross-Cultural Foundational Issues

Frontmatter
Chapter 2. Women’s Enrollments in STEM in Higher Education: Cross-National Trends, 1970–2010
Abstract
This paper describes cross-national trends in women’s share of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) enrollments in higher education for roughly 70 countries between 1970 and 2010. We answer two questions: 1) what is the overall global trend regarding women’s entry into these fields of study? And, 2) are certain STEM fields more accessible to women than other fields? We find that the overall trend is one of increased access, and this finding holds across different regions. Although women’s share has increased in both fields of study, women have less access to engineering than natural science. These findings are discussed within the broader context of global changes in the status of women. This discussion is grounded in macro-sociological theories that situate national changes within the influential “world society.” Lastly, we distinguish between the gains of women in science and the persisting issues of women and science.
Francisco O. Ramirez, Naejin Kwak
Chapter 3. Gender, Science, and Occupational Sex Segregation
Abstract
Over the past 20 years, policy makers have been increasingly connecting science and technology to innovation and economic growth. Many nations have made increased public investments in science and technology, as reflected in GDP (National Science Foundation 2012). Simultaneously, the role of diversity within the innovation process, in general, and the potential contributions of women, in particular, to national science and technology enterprises, has received much attention in many nations and international organizations (see, for example, efforts by UNESCO, APEC, the European Union and OECD).
Lisa M. Frehill, Alice Abreu, Kathrin Zippel
Chapter 4. Building Knowledge to Narrow the Gender Divide: Data and Indicators for Women in STEM and International Benchmarking
Abstract
The intent of this chapter on data and indicators was originally envisioned to identify and inventory key data for measurement of women in STEM subjects of chemistry (and other chemical sciences), computer science and mathematics (and statistics); suggest useful indicators; and explore options for international benchmarking. Over the course of the writing of this book, more thought was given to the contribution of this chapter. As a consequence, the direction moved from an inventory type exercise to an examination of some of the challenges associated with data access, collection and development of timely and comparable information for women in STEM.
Wendy Hansen

Exemplar Disciplines

Frontmatter
Chapter 5. International Status of Women in the Chemical Sciences
Abstract
Globally, the participation and advancement of women chemical scientists as they progress through higher education and their careers continue to lag behind those of their male colleagues (National Science Foundation (NSF), National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) 2013a, 2013b, 2013c; National Research Council 2007; Marzabadi et al. 2006; NRC 2006a; Royal Society of Chemistry 2008). Gender disparities also persist in pay, promotion rates, access to certain areas of specialization in research funding and engagement, and key leadership positions. The issue has become one of increasing concern among many nations that frame the underrepresentation of women in chemistry and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields as a threat to their country’s global economic competitiveness (Osborn et al. 2000; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 2007; Goulden et al. 2009; Pearson and Fechter 1994). In the United States, despite maintaining global leadership in chemistry for some time, increased competition from Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and some Asian countries—all of which are all making more-strategic investments in chemistry research and in training—pose a growing concern for policy-makers and employers (NRC 2006b).
Lisa J. Borello, Robert Lichter, Willie Pearson Jr., Janet L. Bryant
Chapter 6. Women in Mathematics: Change, Inertia, Stratification, Segregation
Abstract
This chapter examines the participation of women in mathematics, focusing on academe. It begins with an overview of the international situation for graduate education in mathematics, illustrating national differences in proportions of female mathematics doctorates. These differences may be associated with national differences in gender segregation in all fields of study. Data collected within the United States illustrate two other statistical phenomena: differences in proportions of women earning degrees and in academic departments, and stratification in professional awards and academic employment. These three phenomena are not unique to the United States or to mathematics but the chapter draws many of its illustrations from the United States for several reasons. The United States is among the major producers of Ph.D.s in mathematics, its universities attract many of the world’s top mathematicians, and it collects extensive statistical information on women in mathematics and other scientific fields. Because the representation of women in mathematics and other fields varies by nation, the chapter concludes by discussing conditions associated with such variations.
Cathy Kessel
Chapter 7. Women in Statistics: Scientific Contributions Versus Rewards
Abstract
Significant contributions have been made to science, through statistics, by women all over the world. These contributions range from theoretical developments to applications in diverse fields such as agriculture, climatology, engineering, biology, and medicine. Yet, there is evidence that their contributions have not been equally rewarded, particularly in academics, in either salary or rank. In this chapter, we review some key contributions to statistical theory and applications made by some notable women. We then describe the research on rank and salary studies that have been conducted in academe, updating the data in Billard (1994) following the passage in the United States of equal opportunity legislation. The data suggest that, while differences in salary and rank for men and women have been reduced in some domains (e.g., government agencies), gaps between men and women in academe still remain.
Lynne Billard, Karen Kafadar
Chapter 8. Gender and Computing
Abstract
Worldwide, information technology (IT) has exhibited phenomenal growth over the past several decades. This growth underlies the creative and analytical processes for the full range of endeavors ranging from science to business and social interaction, and it powers the burgeoning IT economy. Other benefits include vast career opportunities (OECD 2012), and the implications associated with unparalleled access to information. Finally, a benefit noted in many nations is that women’s access to IT and participation in computing can be an important mechanism of economic growth and societal development. Nevertheless, women and men are seldom equal participants in this boom.
Lisa M. Frehill, J. McGrath Cohoon

Policies and Programs

Frontmatter
Chapter 9. Promising Programs: A Cross-National Exploration of Women in Science, Education to Workforce
Abstract
A “program” is an organized effort to improve delivery of a practice or service to a population. In the context of this volume, the central goal of programs is the participation of women (and girls) in a series of planned activities, which taken together, place or keep them on a path toward a science-based degree or career. To be sustained over time, a program must have financial support, consistent leadership, a visibility that attracts participants, exposes them to essential experiences, and facilitates the acquisition of skills and technical (disciplinary, occupational) culture.
Daryl E. Chubin, Catherine Didion, Josephine Beoku-Betts
Chapter 10. Advancing Women in Science: Policies for Progress
Abstract
Over the past few decades, policy issues about the participation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields have been discussed less in terms of human rights and social justice, and increasingly in terms of national development and international competitiveness. In today’s ever expanding knowledge-based and innovation-driven global economy, nations must maximize the development and utilization of all of their human resources. Therefore, enhancing opportunities for STEM education and careers for all segments of the population has become a priority on many policy agendas.
Cheryl Leggon, Connie L. McNeely, Jungwon Yoon
Chapter 11. Postscript
Abstract
This volume is a first step in expanding the dialogue on women in science and technology (S&T) as an international issue, noting that critical challenges remain for understanding the professional lives and contributions of women in science around the world. Even with expanded degree attainment in some fields, gender disparities in S&T workforce participation and status remain significant and the underrepresentation of women in science has been recognized as a major social, political, and economic issue. While some gains have been made in advancing women in related fields, a great deal of work remains to be done to understand and address fundamental issues attending scientific participation, status, and productivity in terms of gender dynamics and representation. Indeed, the examination of selected disciplines in this volume helped to underscore the importance of attending to the varied mechanics of scientific workforce capabilities and conditions contingent on the field-specific production of knowledge.
Connie L. McNeely, Lisa M. Frehill, Willie Pearson Jr.
Metadaten
Titel
Advancing Women in Science
herausgegeben von
Willie Pearson, Jr.
Lisa M. Frehill
Connie L. McNeely
Copyright-Jahr
2015
Electronic ISBN
978-3-319-08629-3
Print ISBN
978-3-319-08628-6
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08629-3

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