By Images in science are still biased towards white men, new research reveals.
In results released today from Nazarbayev University, a research team found that when it comes to science, the industry still appears to favour images depicting white men.
Dr. Anna Cohen Miller, Dr. Sejin Koo, Dr. Neil Collins and Dr. Jenifer Lewis, who work across education, political science, and business disciplines, analysed scientific industry image data from 10 different countries’ pavilions at the Astana Expo: a large scale science event which brings together countries from around the world.
Their research found that when it came to representing women and minority groups in the imagery used at the event, women and minority groups were either pictured in support or learning roles, or simply not represented at all.
Are women working in science?
UNESCO’s latest report notes that overall, ‘women account for a minority of the world’s researchers. Despite the growing demand for cross-nationally-comparable statistics on women in science, national data and their use in policymaking often remain limited.’
When it comes to the STEM industry (science, technology, engineering and math), new government data shows that in 2019 the UK have reached one million women in core-STEM occupations in the UK, but numerous other studies have found that women in STEM fields publish less, are paid less for their research and do not progress as far as men in their careers.
In June 2019, UNESCO reported that regional averages (based off historical data from 2016) for the share of female researchers were:
- 48.2% for Central Asia
- 45.1% for Latin America and the Caribbean
- 41.5% for Arab States
- 39.3% for Central and Eastern Europe
- 32.7% for North America and Western Europe
- 31.8% for Sub-Saharan Africa
- 23.9% for East Asia and the Pacific
- 18.5% for South and West Asia
Here in the UK, WISE have released an updated report with more recent figures showing that in 2019, women in the UK have reached ‘critical mass’ in science professional roles and are now within touching distance of a fifty percent share, coming in at 47.9%.
Why does it matter?
The results from the research of scientific imagery show that whilst the numbers of women working in the industry is steadily rising each year, the imagery used in the industry is not always in line with this reality.
The researchers believe the importance of imagery and its effects on formal and informal learning are crucial in a move towards gender equality:
“Between 1901 and 2017, there were 599 Nobel Laureates in medicine, physics, and chemistry; only 17 of these were women. Sharing stories of women in science with the next generation is essential for nurturing future scientists and these findings demonstrate the need to raise awareness of gender equality in science.”
The report, featured in the journal Gender, Technology and Development, found that Germany, Greece, Italy, and Luxembourg displayed no women in science in their images at all.
In Spain, the women presented were shown in a kitchen, in order to demonstrate innovations in improved stoves.
In Austria, France, Hungary, and Slovakia, some women were used in science industry images, however, the majority of images still relied heavily on imagery of men. For example, of Austria’s 15 individual images, only one was a female scientist.
Although the Netherlands was the closest country to present gender-balanced imagery – of five images, two were women – none of the 10 countries’ events involved in the research actually provided an equal, gender-balanced view of the science industry.
The researchers further explained that when women or minority groups were shown in the images, it was rarely in the same context as their male counterparts:
“When scientific images included women, they were often audience members rather than scientists and often shown with smiles. In contrast, men were the main focus with serious expressions. Also, scientist roles were primarily white, with racial minorities shown as audiences or beneficiaries. Overall, the images strongly emphasise the presence of white men in science.”
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