Why are there so few women physicists, or even student physicists?

Question

In my quantum class of 40 students, 4 were women. I heard the numbers get worse as educational status (and age) increases.

*By student physicists, I mean women students who study physics as their concentration.

Answer 1

I'm not sure the "men are better at math" idea is right. In my calculus and AP physics classes, 80% to 90% of the class was female, and the brightest students were female.

As to the educational status part, it may have something to do with men not thinking women can handle these jobs [old bias] and not offering as many opportunities. It also may be that women marry or have children, and are expected to raise the family. It is an outdated idea, but I still don't see many stay-at-home dads. This takes time away from education and job experience, and sometimes you just can't get back to your old job, or go back to school.

And actually I am going to Rolla for engineering, my friend there is majoring in aerospace engineering, and my other friend and her sister are at Rolla for Computer Science degrees [we are all women]. Now, I know that isn't exactly "physicist" but I think you are thinking more about women in math/sciences.

Anyways... good luck with whatever you are pursuing if you are in a quantum class :)

Answer 2

When I started in school in 1996, very few women were in math and physics classes. However, as time went on, more and more started attending higher level classes. A lot of them left after they learned enough to be high school teachers, but I think slowly, women are making up a higher percentage of math and physics graduate students. I think the more frightening problem is actually the declining American percentage. I've had classes where I am the only American student!!

Answer 3

men usually are more dominant in the math, their brains chemcially funtion better in the left lobe (or is it right) which controls math and logic skills, while women generally are stronger in the opposite lobe which controls creativity and art more. In my opinion, there should be more women physicists, because i think being a good physicist, or scientist for that matter, is more of an art and thus women may have an upperhand. anyone can learn how to use and read equations, and how to model systems if they really try, but not everyone is an artist.

Answer 4

Being a female student of math and physics, I will agree with oxymoron. Gender rolls still play an important part in our lives.

Answer 5

once you're saying 'evaluate nicely easy examples like Marie Curie', what different nicely easy examples are there? Marie Curie become doing her artwork one hundred years in the past. who's there now? Marie Curie become a protracted, long term, in the past, you won't be able to shop on dragging her up. who're some nicely-easy contemporary women individuals in technical fields? the reason fewer women individuals choose for to circulate into those fields is that fewer women individuals opt to. you won't be able to 'fix' it. if women individuals arent' attracted to pursuing careers in technical fields, you won't be able to cause them to. And why would desire to you opt to? Is there any particualar benefit to having women individuals engineers and physicists, as adversarial to male ones? And if women individuals are being favoured over adult adult males whilst it incorporates scholarships etc, then frankly i think of this is amazingly disgraceful. I thoroughly disapprove of this variety of social engineering.

Answer 6

Because when they were born 21 years ago, Mommy showed them barbie and daddy gave them ponies.

Answer 7

because they believe physics is a very wild subject to b offered

Answer 8

gender role indoctrination and expectation