Question

3 Are women less in neembers in the
field of science, technology and environment? If yes, why?​

Answer 1

Answer:

YES THERE ARE MORE MEN INDULGED IN SCIENCE,TECHNOLOGY,ENGINEERING AND MEDICINE.

Across the world, there are more men who are active in science, technology, engineering and medicine (STEM) than women. What is the sociology behind this gender-divide? Research shows that when men and women apply for jobs — be in the labour market, or in places where high level qualifications are demanded, men candidates engage in self-promotion, and are boastful while equally qualified women are more ‘modest’ and ‘undersell’ themselves. Even in groups and situations where men and women are present as colleagues, the views of women are either ignored or listened to less seriously than those of men. As a result, women tend to underestimate their ability relative to men, especially in public settings, and negotiate less successfully.

This last point has been particularly brought out in a detailed set of studies by Dr. Sapna Cheryan and colleagues of the University of Washington, Seattle, in their paper: ’why are some STEM fields more gender balanced than others?’ (Psychological Bulletin 2017;143:1-35, open access). They point out that in the United States while over 60% of BS, MS and PhD degrees in biological and chemical sciences are from women, only 25-30% of them do computer science, physics and engineering. Why this imbalance? The authors suggest three socio-psychological reasons, namely (1) masculine culture, (2) lack of sufficient early exposure to computers, physics and related areas compared to boys in early childhood and (3) gender gap in self-efficacy.