Women And Science: The Role Of Women In Science

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Women are grossly underrepresented in scientific fields. Why is that? What can women contribute to science, and what can people do to help them? There are many reasons women might not choose a science-related career, but science needs them. The increased involvement of women in science can add a new level of diversity to scientific research, since women, having slightly different brains, tend to lean toward more qualitative research styles, and do more interdisciplinary research, the type of research they believe to be better at solving society’s problems. Certain policies could increase the number of women in science, which could help us all.

One of the first things to discuss when talking about women in science is, why aren’t there more women in science? Of the 4.6 million scientists and engineers on the country, only 13% of them are female (Siebert 269). There are many things that might discourage a woman from entering science. One is the commitment of having …show more content…

Maybe. Are male and female brains different? Yes. When doing research, men tend to focus on specific little details, whereas women, while detail-oriented, can grasp a more global picture, allowing them to multitask (Rhoten 63). This is because women’s brains are more connected between sides, whereas male brains have many connections within each side (Tomasi). Females have more anatomical connectivity overall, and are more efficient and organized (Tomasi). Therefore, when given a problem, women will therefore use their increased functional connectivity to draw from both sides of the brain, and men will focus on the problem using one side. A female would be more likely to integrate many different aspects of a situation, which could be useful in science, and might also cause a woman to go about her research in a slightly different way, and, in a scientific field, diversity of ideas and projects is needed and

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