Myth: Science is becoming more diverse over time.
Truth: Although we want to believe that society is becoming more progressive and an increasing number of members of underrepresented groups (women, underrepresented minorities, LGBTQ+ etc.) are entering science, this is simply not the case. The percentage of women and underrepresented minorities entering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) is not increasing at any appreciable rate. Unfortunately not enough data is available to make any such claim about LGBTQ+ scientists. This is a problem in itself.
In most STEM disciplines the percentage of women and underrepresented minorities has remained static over the past 20 years. Looking at the graphs shown above we see that for both women and underrepresented minorities the percentage participation from these groups falls well below our goal of equal representation* in the sciences. This is particularly stark for underrepresented minorities (see graph #4). To make matters worse, representation does not appear to improving. In fact, in some disciplines the numbers have actually gotten worse over the past few decades. One notable example is the sharp decrease in women studying computer science since the early 1980s (see graph #1). 30 years ago Computer Science appeared to be nearing gender parity. Then, around 1985 the number of women entering computer science began to decrease substantially. We cannot pinpoint the exact causes of this decrease, although there are many compelling hypotheses. For one theory on why computer science is more male dominated today than 30 years ago, listen to this NPR story. What we can conclusively say is that the number of women and minorities entering STEM fields is not continually increasing.
The patterns we see in the representation data show that change in the area of representation will not happen by itself. We cannot simply sit back and expect, in 50 or even 100 years, to see a more diverse scientific community. Instead, we must work actively to reach the goal of equal representation in the sciences. We can start by having conversations with our friends, students, and colleagues about identity in science labs and classrooms. Open and honest conversations will open the door for real improvement in the scientific community. For more information on how to have these conversations follow this blog and contact us.
*By equal representation with respect to gender we mean that 50% of the binary identifying scientists (those who identify as female or male, i.e. not non-binary/genderqueer) should identify as female. When talking about underrepresented minorities, by equal representation we mean that the percentage of scientists who identify as members of a certain minority group should be equal to the percentage of people living in this country who identify as members of that minority group. For two specific examples, let's consider the largest racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States: 12.6% of the U.S. identifies as African American or Black, and 16.4% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latin@ (Data from the 2010 Census).
The patterns we see in the representation data show that change in the area of representation will not happen by itself. We cannot simply sit back and expect, in 50 or even 100 years, to see a more diverse scientific community. Instead, we must work actively to reach the goal of equal representation in the sciences. We can start by having conversations with our friends, students, and colleagues about identity in science labs and classrooms. Open and honest conversations will open the door for real improvement in the scientific community. For more information on how to have these conversations follow this blog and contact us.
*By equal representation with respect to gender we mean that 50% of the binary identifying scientists (those who identify as female or male, i.e. not non-binary/genderqueer) should identify as female. When talking about underrepresented minorities, by equal representation we mean that the percentage of scientists who identify as members of a certain minority group should be equal to the percentage of people living in this country who identify as members of that minority group. For two specific examples, let's consider the largest racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States: 12.6% of the U.S. identifies as African American or Black, and 16.4% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latin@ (Data from the 2010 Census).