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Report finds underrepresentation of women in world science

www.assaf.org.za

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2016

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MRS Bulletin , Volume 41 , Issue 4: Twinning in Metallic Materials , April 2016 , pp. 273
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Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

Despite efforts to promote the role of women in science, a recent study reveals little representation and participation of women in national science academies globally.

The first comprehensive survey of member academies of the Inter Academy Partnership (IAP): The Global Network of Science Academies finds that the average share of women members across 69 national science academies is 12%. In just under one-half, 30 academies of the 69 that responded, the share of women members was either 10% or less.

The report Women for Science: Inclusion and Participation in Academies of Science was supported by the IAP and published by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf). It documents the results of two surveys undertaken by the Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS) and ASSAf, targeting member countries of the IAP. Other partners were the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and the Network of African Science Academies (NASAC).

The report points out that while “great strides have been made in enrolling more women in undergraduate courses, especially in the biological and chemical sciences (success has been more limited in the areas of physics, mathematics and engineering), there remain significant challenges in ensuring that women scientists are able to have fulfilling careers with increasing levels of responsibility, eventually taking up leadership and decision-making positions.”

Women are “best” represented in the social sciences, humanities, and arts (16% of all members in this discipline, across all science academies, are women), followed by the biological sciences (15%), and the medical and health sciences (14%). Women’s representation as academy members is least in the mathematical sciences (6%) and engineering sciences (5%).

Findings for the three global science academies—Islamic World Academy of Sciences (IAS), the World Academy of Art & Science (WAAS), and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)—show a similar picture: women are “best” represented among academy members in the social sciences and humanities.