Is it just me or do others think that the overall national climate is shining a brighter light on women's issues and opportunities? Take a look at what was found by an April, 2009 study commissioned by L'Oreal:"A new national survey commissioned by L'Oreal USA confirms an alarming issue plaguing our nation's scientific community - the scarcity of female scientists and lack of awareness of their contributions. According to the survey Women, Science and Success: The New Face of Innovation, 65 percent of American adults cannot name a single famous female scientist, and 74 percent of Americans believe that women are underrepresented in science-related fields."If I hadn't spoken to a biotech company during Women's History Month, I couldn't name a famous female scientist. How about you?
So why should we care?
"The survey revealed that Americans see women's participation as key to the country's advancements in these areas. Nearly all Americans (97 percent) believe women are capable of making significant contributions to scientific research, development and discovery. More than eight out of 10 (87 percent) survey respondents say more women are needed in science-related fields to ensure scientific and technological progress. Likewise, they see a danger in not investing more resources to encourage more women to get involved in science: 59 percent believe that an underrepresentation of women in science-related fields could hinder U.S. advancements in science and economic growth."It seems pretty self-evident that if half of the brains in the country are under-represented in the sciences, we will lag behind. You can find the entire article here.
For more information on L'Oreal's Fellowships for Women in Science, visit www.lorealusa.com/forwomeninscience or the L'Oreal for Women in Science Facebook page.
* Pictured above Stephanie Kwolek, inventor of Kevlar.
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2 comments:
Great article. Women are under represented in history is general. Thankfully I think that won't be the case 50 years from now, if women aren't afraid to go into the field of science.
Gladly, that there is such an event that continues in rewarding many female researcher/scientists. Being a female researcher/scientist is not very easy but still there are lots of women who want to enter this kind of field. I think that through this kind of event will help to change under-representation of women in science. This will help to encourage more of our female researchers to continue their dream.
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