Women in physics in the United States: Reaching toward equity and inclusion
Name
Women in physics in the United States_Reaching toward equity and inclusion.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
449.6 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
3ef830ac00e3711e948d881d2f2d7a5b
Author(s)
Bjorkquist, Robin
Bogdan, Abigail M
Campbell, Nicole L
Chessey, Mary
Cochran, Geraldine L
Cunningham, Beth
Esquivel, Jessica N
Gladstone, Laura
Gosnell, Natalie M
Guruswamy, Sathya
Date Issued
2019
Journal
AIP Conference Proceedings
Publisher
AIP Publishing
Version
Final published version
Abstract
© 2019 Author(s). The United States has a major deficit in the proportion of women earning degrees in physics, peaking around 20%. To promote excellence and maximize creativity, additional efforts to diversify the physics community must be implemented. Challenges to improving the proportion of female physicists include microaggressions, active discouragement, poor advising or mentoring, inadequate acknowledgement of achievements, sexual harassment, and many others. The latest research on gender bias suggests two main underlying psychological themes that explain much of the behavioral bias: implicit (unconscious) bias and stereotype threat. To ensure that excellence is not compromised, we need to guarantee that our entire population has access to adequate resources and the necessary support structures for success. To fully understand women in physics, we must also examine the many obstacles that women of various identities face in efforts to navigate their academic and professional careers. These identities may be related not only to gender but also to race, ethnicity, language, religion, social class, or sexuality. Increasing women's participation in physics requires increased access to high school physics courses, funding opportunities to attend college, availability of research opportunities, and access to and support from professional societies. These approaches will enhance the culture in physics, leading to gender equity, social equity, and improved social justice for many people.
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
10.1063/1.5110114
