The numbers of women in science is always growing, but still, some face discrimination and feel they are treated differently than men. Some students commented how they feel about that in the academia environment.
Courtesy of DCStudio
Gender discrimination in science is still present in various environments, but UCF women say society is walking on a path to change despite the bias.
“It isn’t that just there are individuals who are being discriminatory," said Charlene Galarneau, associate professor emerita in the Women’s and Gender Studies Department at Wellesley College. "I don’t think that; I think that happens less and less that people are blatantly discriminatory, but I think it is built into our systems, for example, to privilege and advantage men, in many ways.
"Women in science is no longer a foreign concept. Time has passed and with time, the number of women in the area has increased, but some students still think women are treated differently than men.
As of 2022, there are 2,319 women, both undergraduate and graduate, enrolled in the departments of mathematics, physics, biology and chemistry and 1,283 men enrolled at the same departments, according to the Institutional of Knowledge Management.
Additionally, 78% of women in STEM are known to have experienced gender discrimination at work in mostly male workplaces, and 48% think that gender has made it harder to succeed at work, according to Pew Research Center.
Autumn Shackelford, a student pursuing a doctorate in planetary science in the department of physics, said that she definitely thinks women are treated differently in her academic field.
Shackelford said that she finds herself having to be nicer in order to get her point across.
“Like, if I have an argument with someone, or if I don’t agree with what they’re saying, I have to be really nice in order for anyone to listen to me,” Shackelford said. “Whereas a man could say something mean and get his point across, but if I say something mean, people would be like, ‘What's wrong with this girl? Like, why is she acting so rude?’ So, there’s a big double standard there when it comes to communication.
”Shackelford said that women generally have to work harder to be heard, even though she doesn’t know why a lot of scientists would rather listen to a man than a woman.
Galarneau said that gender discrimination is built into society’s systems in certain ways. She also said that even though very often teachers are predominantly women, men typically will be paid more and have higher ranks.
“If you were to map out, for example, who had the lower-level faculty positions and who had the higher-level faculty positions, you will still find men disproportionately positioned in those higher-level positions,” Galarneau said. “And not surprisingly, the higher-level positions earn greater money, you know, as income, but also often have greater benefits and greater resources for research, etc.
”Simona Ceriani, a research scientist and the Sea Turtle Nesting Program coordinator, said that she never felt treated differently because of her gender by co-workers, supervisors, professors and mentors, but she thinks that things may be different in other STEM fields that are more man-dominated such as physics.
Ceriani said that she thinks race is another problem that can be addressed when it comes to discrimination.“I do think a bigger issue than gender is race," Ceriani said.
"I don’t think there is a good representation of races in science, most of all African Americans. I essentially have no colleagues that are African Americans, or I can count them on one hand."I don’t know at what level of education that gap begins but it’s something that in my opinion is more of a problem than the gender issue.
”Galarneau said that race is in fact a big factor in discrimination. She said that as women have come to study more compared to the past, disciplines have had to respond to the kinds of interests and questions that women have had, and there are different categories that need to be taken in consideration.
“There are all kinds of women, which bring different kinds of interests," Galarneau said. "So, women, you know, there are women who are different by race, by sexuality, by ability, and different kinds of women often bring different kinds of questions to the study and knowledge that’s learned.
"Myrla Phillippe, a first-year student in the physics doctoral program at UCF, said that she feels like women are treated differently than men.
“I feel like their innocence — I do have to prove myself before being seen as, ‘OK, she knows what she’s talking about,’” Phillippe said. “But that also goes with being African American. As an African American first-generation woman, I feel like there are some things that come with, you know, trying to prove yourself in the field.
”Phillippe said that things are changing, but that the concept of physics being for men starts from grade school. She said schools need to start having engineering and robotics clubs for girls as well and that high schools, middle schools and elementary schools should start trying to actively recruit women in a lot of these clubs that would typically be geared toward engaging young men.
To increase and encourage women, UCF offers STEM programs such as the GEMS, the Girls EXCELling in Math and Science, and the WISE, Women in Science and Engineering Mentoring at UCF, which is an industry professional-to-student mentoring program, and female STEM professionals are recruited to become mentors.
UCF has also been part of a project focused on understanding gender inequity in STEM fields, according to UCF Today.
Russell Manzano, professor of sex, gender and culture, said things are already much better, but like many cultural changes, it is a slow process, and there is still of room for growth when it comes to gender equality in academic settings.
Manzano said that representation is a big part of that change.
“I think representation matters," Manzano said. "So, if children see more girls in science at a young age, they are less likely to discriminate against women in scientific fields later in life. Toys are also a factor as well.
"Many of the science toys are made for boys. There need to be more science-related toys targeted specifically to girls. I think that these two things could help improve the representation of women in science.
”Allison Allianic, a junior physics major, also thinks that exposing women to science from a young age can change the view that science is made just for men.
“I was introduced to biology, math, and science when I was, like, really young," Allianic said. "My mom bought me a bunch of books and stuff. So, I’ve always been interested in the subject since I was young.
"She said she feels like women and children don’t get exposed to sciences that much.
“Especially for physics, it would really help if we actually made physics a class you take in elementary school or middle school, because I wasn’t introduced to physics until high school," Allianic said. "And I feel like physics is the most fundamental science out there.
"Allianic said that one of the big differences she sees regarding gender in her classes are the numbers.
“Sometimes, there are moments where you realize you’re like, there’s only four other women, and as the rest of the whole class is men, because a lot of my upper-level physics classes are literally dog dominant," Allianic said.
Kaitlyn Medina, a senior chemistry major, said that for her class and major, she thinks there is a good mix of women and men, almost split evenly between the two. She said she thinks it is because society just started integrating more women into careers roles that weren’t traditionally seen as being for women before.
Medina said that still, in the career field, she thinks she is treated differently because of her gender.
“They kind of undermine me in the sense of … like, if I had the same exact job position as a male, he would be more well respected than I am based on just being a man,” Medina said. “And like that, that is where the disconnect for me is because I don’t personally respect that idea.
”Galarneau said that although things are trending toward change, there are still things to do, and the best way is for everybody to participate in the change. She also said that people need to make education and training programs more accessible to women and to all kinds of women.
“I think we need to listen to women to tell us what they need to be successful, and I think that would get us a long way,” Galarneau said.
