Athena Unbound: the advancement of women in science and technology by Henry
Etzkowitz, Carol Kemelgor and Brian Uzzi, Cambridge University Press,
拢12.95, ISBN 0521787386
IN THE case of practising scientists, who you know can be even more important
than what you know. In other words, without the 鈥渟ocial capital鈥� of a network
that provides the information, validation and encouragement that are so
important in developing a career, your 鈥渉uman capital鈥� will go to waste. And how
easily you acquire social capital depends on who you are.
Athena Unbound explores why the scientific careers of so many
accomplished women lag behind those of their male colleagues, and why some women
leave the field entirely. The authors conclude: 鈥淭he experiences of women
scientists begin and end with the consequences of social exclusion in an
activity that necessitates, perhaps demands, community.鈥�
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More than four hundred in-depth interviews lay the foundations of the book,
supported by statistical analyses of demographic and survey data from science
departments. The research covers five disciplines鈥攂iology, chemistry,
physics, computer science and electrical engineering. Although largely based on
the US academic system, a later chapter includes an overview of circumstances
around the globe, from Brazil to Denmark. Though the book focuses on academic
science, this acts as the gateway to the wider scientific community.
As someone who left science with a BSc in physics, I found the shock of
recognition in these stories empowering in itself. I鈥檓 sure many younger women,
still pursuing their scientific careers, will have a similar reaction.
Exclusion begins, the authors say, at university entrance level. Science
departments foster a deliberately competitive and unsupportive atmosphere,
designed to 鈥渨eed out鈥� students from a deliberately over-large intake. This puts
pressure on all students鈥攂ut for young women, less familiar with the
masculine traditions of challenge and the expectation of proving oneself,
it can lead to feelings of rejection, confusion and lowered self-esteem. Women
who continue on to graduate school often find themselves excluded from the
informal social networks that develop within departments.
The authors cite the careers of several prominent women scientists as
examples. All worked in comparative isolation: the physicist Lise Meitner, whose
discoveries were attributed to her sometime partner Otto Hahn; biologist Rachel
Carson; and Rosalind Franklin, co-discoverer of the molecular structure of
DNA.
Intense pressure on scientists to produce original research during their
twenties and early thirties, so they can secure a tenured academic position, is
an additional burden on women. This 鈥渢enure clock鈥� coincides with their prime
child-bearing years. Many women abandon scientific careers due to the lack of
childcare and because it鈥檚 virtually impossible to return after a career break.
Some younger male scientists also find these pressures difficult as they seek to
spend more time with their families.
It is both morally and legally imperative that we remove these gender-based
barriers, the authors remind us. They set out to pinpoint the problems and
suggest practical solutions. Efforts to increase the numbers of women entering
the sciences are clearly not sufficient. Without organisational change, people
who enter science departments can鈥檛 stay and thrive, they say.
They recommend 鈥渕entoring鈥� arrangements which pair entrants with more
experienced scientists. Another suggestion is the creation of informal networks
of women, aimed at breaking down the feelings of isolation and increasing the
social capital of female scientists. Women should also be recruited into
鈥減ivotal jobs鈥� such as personnel and review committees. And positive policies on
childcare and parental leave, as well as introducing more flexibility into the
tenure clock, will benefit male as well as female scientists.
This book presents a compelling picture of the complex experiences of large
numbers of women scientists. Its hypotheses are tightly argued and meticulously
researched. Practising scientists of both sexes, as well as department heads and
scientific policy advisers everywhere, would do well to read it.