This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: An absence of women scientists in U.K. exam board specifications for science could be a factor in the disproportionate number of girls dropping STEM subjects at 16 and contribute to the gender gap in STEM careers, new research from the University of Cambridge has found. The study, which analyzed the U.K.'s six main exam boards' specifications across science subjects, found that out of 86 scientists mentioned at Key Stage 4 (KS4), which covers GCSE and equivalent, just one was a woman—Rosalind Franklin.
And even then, Franklin—whose work on X-ray crystallography led to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA—featured in only one specification. The researchers—who looked at specifications for biology, chemistry, environmental science, geology, physics and astronomy—say the analysis showed that several major scientific breakthroughs taught in U.K. specifications were made by women, but that these women are not explicitly included in the compulsory learning material. Instead, the onus is placed on individual teachers to highlight these achievements in the classroom.
Now, the Cambridge team—Dr. Greg J Cooke, Skyla B White and Stephanie Buttigieg, who collaborated with the IncludeHer movement—say minor, targeted adjustments could incorporate these key contributions into existing teaching frameworks with minimal changes, including the accomplishments of Nobel Prize–winning female scientists. They say this additional content could inspire more girls to continue with STEM subjects, in particular physics and mathematics at Key Stage 5 (KS5)—which covers A-level and equivalent—and beyond.
Despite girls typically outperforming boys in the majority of STEM subjects at KS4, physics, mathematics and further mathematics have a significantly higher uptake at KS5 among boys, with the percentage of girls choosing to study mathematics and further mathematics now lower than it was in 2005. The researchers say they found a "compelling" correlation between the gender representation of scientists that students are exposed to at KS4 and the STEM subjects girls go on to choose to study at KS5. The study—published in the British Educational Research Journal—showed that students experience a "saturation" of male scientists in compulsory physics learning materials at KS4, and suggests this could be an influence on the much lower number of girls who continue with the subject at KS5 compared to boys.
By contrast, in biology and chemistry—subjects which are slightly more popular with girls than boys at KS5—KS4 exam specifications feature fewer mentions of individual scientists overall. While the researchers acknowledge that women's underrepresentation in STEM arises from a set of complex factors, they say such a significant change in gender disparity between KS4 and KS5 suggests this transition point may be critical for retention. Pointing to the success increased exposure to relatable STEM role models has already had in shaping students' perceptions of who science is for, they have identified specific places within the existing exam specifications where they say women scientists' achievements can be incorporated relatively easily.
Among their recommendations, the researchers say Franklin should be included in all biology specifications. Marie Skłodowska-Curie—who won two Nobel Prizes, discovered polonium and radium, and coined the term "radioactivity"—should be included in discussions around atomic structure and isotopes in KS4 chemistry, and Lise Meitner—a nuclear physicist who was involved in the discovery of nuclear fission and provided the first theoretical explanation of the process but was controversially excluded from a Nobel Prize—would be an ideal role model for inclusion in KS4 physics. The study also analyzed KS5 exam specifications and found that only three of the 181 scientists mentioned were women—Franklin, geologist Marie Tharp and seismologist Inge Lehman.
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