Women in STEM
Oral Histories from 21st-Century Scientists
What a scientist looks like can be pretty varying...
- Cynthia Burrows, PhD
When the average person is asked to “picture a scientist,” the first image likely to appear in their mind is a man in a white lab coat. Indeed, though women have been an integral part of science for centuries, they have often labored in the margins, rendered invisible by cultural and social practices and norms that elevated men and stereotypical masculinity. Today, more girls and women than ever excel in scientific and technical fields; yet serious inequalities persist in their recruitment, retainment, and advancement. The challenges faced by women interested in science range from blatant discrimination and harassment to more subtle and pervasive ideologies and systemic biases, which cause them to feel unwelcome or inadequate. When women do make it into academic research, the tradeoffs they make in order to survive and thrive may exact a high personal cost.