Someone once said we're all born scientists. Babies and young children learn about the world around them through inquiry and experimentation. Yet at some point, while boys continue to question, most girls shut down. Why does this occur among females? And why didn't it happen to you?
It's socialization that changes girls. Girls find that to express these interests is not so socially acceptable. A young person grows up and is uncertain, does not get positive reinforcement. The influence of peers is really different for girls.
I see the consequences in my students and postdoctoral graduates. If doing science is perceived as an uncool thing for a girl - in high school during a very vulnerable time in her life - she won't perform as well and she won't do as well as teenage boys.
I don't think female abilities are less than those of males; we've seen ample evidence around the world. If they're encouraged to do as well, they do. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I attended an all-girls school through high school, and a college where there were residences for women. It was helpful to live in a community of women scholars - very helpful to have the example of women undergrads around you. As the beneficiary of single-sex education myself, I can see why it's helpful. During certain stages, when a young girl is growing up and getting her feet on the ground, it can be very beneficial.
I once spent a day shadowing a research scientist who clearly saw her work as fun. She taught me that researchers are passionate about their careers. Yet the majority of girls think science is boring. A career in science seems too hard to pursue, or devoid of any relevance to their lives. How can we encourage girls to continue the innate love of science and discovery that's in all of us?
When you see the best science being done, it has elements of exploration, fun, and personal involvement; it's about enjoying the challenge. You also satisfy the question of how nature works. It's extremely interesting and endlessly captivating. Scientists often complain that we spend a great deal of time securing grants and funding to do our research, but we've all chosen to do this. There's a degree of autonomy in a research setting, and we forget to convey that it's an extremely rewarding aspect.
Science in academic settings or research institutes is different from trying to solve a problem with a particular end in mind. In a corporate setting, the focus is on problem solving or grappling with questions. The science which isn't goal oriented is very impressive because you have such freedom of choice - Choice in what we do is a huge determinant as to whether or not we enjoy this.
That's something we don't convey to girls - that science can offer intellectual freedom, which is a wonderful thing - and to have access to this type of career is extraordinary.
Why is science seen as boring? Perhaps it's because the teaching of it happens in a very fact-based way. To teach well you have to not only teach the concepts but teach that science is a process of thinking. When science is taught in a problem-solving way, then boys and girls don't get turned off.
Kids pick up completely on what their teachers are thinking. Teachers are so incredibly important and we undervalue them. We must change that, and politically advocate for teachers. I recognize that teachers have a tough life; they're overburdened, and we need to re-examine how we compensate teachers. We should make it one of the top paying jobs and then people would flock to it.
When I was a child, I had a chemistry teacher who came into my school relatively young. She enjoyed what she did and made chemistry so much fun. Because we enjoyed her teaching us, she thrived in her work. It matters to teachers that they feel valued and liked. It's important to understand that how people learn is realistically influenced by the interaction of teachers and students.
What would you like to communicate to young girls, teens, and mothers of girls who are interested in science, but may lose themselves in the science and math gender gap? What advice do you have?
If you're someone who finds science interesting, you have the kind of mind that enjoys grappling with questions.
The reality is that science offers a challenging career and autonomy, and it's fun. Women scientists choose to do this - it's not a burden. Unless they feel pushed out by professional circumstances, women who want to be in the sciences think of these challenges as problems they can solve, and then do it.
A career in research science only appears daunting because of the mythologies surrounding it.
In my own childhood experiences watching my parents, I could see that a woman having a career was as normal as a man. I was one of 7 children and my mother was a doctor who practiced medicine when she could; she could leave and re-enter the field. There are many examples of that. I grew up seeing that women were just as intelligent and able as men.
I asked for a little microscope once for Christmas, and I got that. I wasn't ever told, "Girls don't want microscopes." But just because a girl doesn't come from a family like mine doesn't prevent her from pursuing science. A girl from any background can succeed with encouragement.
The creativity of science is very much like that in the arts; both are about your brain being created.
Showing girls and women realistic images of women in the sciences is part of the solution. When the media depicts real women, it sends the message that these are scientists, they look like women who have lives, and women are recognized when they do good science. It encourages young girls by showing them the important work that women can accomplish in science and research.
