Are Women Excluded
from Careers in Science?

by Barbara Sherriff and J.P. Svenne


When we review the history of science, few female names come to mind.

"You've come a long way, baby!" but you still have a long way to go. How will you know when you've arrived? You will have arrived when Margaret Thatcher is no longer referred to as a woman prime minister, but simply as a prime minister; when madam Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé is no longer known as a woman supreme court justice, but as a supreme court justice; when a TV news reporter no longer comments on what Audrey McLaughlin is wearing. Who ever comments on what Brian Mulroney is wearing? This article examines briefly the question of whether women have "arrived" as scientists.

From any examination of the history of science, it is clear that in the past there has been a systematic and overt exclusion of women from scientific careers. Today, there are very few women scientists. Out of a total of 180 permanent faculty positions in the Faculty of Science of the University of Manitoba, only twelve are filled by women, which is a significant improvement over 1985, when there were only seven.

In 1988-89 at the University of Manitoba, nearly equal numbers of men and women started in science at the first year level (43.7% of the first-year students were female), but the attrition rate of women is higher than that of men. Even more significantly, female participation in post- graduate studies, to the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees, is abysmally low: only 20.6% of M.Sc. degrees were granted to women, and 14.3% of Ph.D. degrees.

These overall statistics mask the particularly low numbers of women (20% of the total registration) who opt to enter the physical sciences (chemistry, geology and physics) and computer science (10% of the total). Though these statistics are specifically for the University of Manitoba, national statistics are very similar and improvement over time is very slow. Where does this low participation by women in the sciences, particularly the physical sciences, originate?

This question is discussed extensively in a recent book by Londa Schiebinger, The Mind has no Sex? (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1989) When we review the history of science, few female names come to mind. Everyone has heard of Madame Curie -- but we are stuck for other examples. And even Madame Curie-the first person ever to obtain two Nobel prizes in physics--was not allowed to become a member of the renowned Academie des Sciences in Paris.

Est-ce que les femmes sont exclués des carrières scientifiques?

par Barbara Sherriff et J.P. Sevenne

La coutume de faire des sciences est née au Moyen Âge dans les monastères et les couvents où les religieuses se consacraient à l'avancement des connaissances Toutefois, au fur et a mesure quelles université se propageaient et devenaient le bastion du savoir, les femmes en furent presque complètement exclues. En 1678, Ellen Piscopia fut la première femme à obtenir un doctorat à l'université de Padoue. Il fallut attendre trois siècle pour qu'une autre femme accomplisse le même exploit.

Il faut que davantage de femmes se sentent attirées vers les sciences. Si l'on pense que la plupart des femmes peuvent s'attendre à un moment ou à un autre d'être seul soutien de famille, une carrière scientifique peut s'avérer intéressant et stimulante.

De surcroît, il faut que davantage de femmes se lancent dans les sciences en raison de l'influence qu'elles pourraient y exercer. Enfin, les femmes représentent une ressource humaine sous utilisée alors qu'on s'attend que d'ici à la fin du siècle la demande en scientifiques augmente de façon aiguë.

Dans la mesure où les raisons pour lesquelles le taux de participation des femmes dans les domaines scientifiques est faible sont multiples et compliquées, il faudra trouver des solutions à plusieurs volets et complexes pour enrayer cette situation. Ce n'est certes pas demain que l'effectif des étudiants en sciences, des femmes scientifiques et des ingénieures sera égal à celui des hommes.


Back Contents Next