Everyone should have full and equal access to science education and careers, but do they? February 11th is the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science. We check up on equality of access in the UK and at Biovault.
in the Uk, girls excel in science
We know there’s no problem with girls’ enthusiasm for science or their ability to excel in it. 90% of female GCSE entrants in 2023 were awarded A*-C grades in Biology, and 44.7% were awarded an A or A*. For the record, 40.1% of boys achieved the top two grades.
And at A-Level, female entrants also earned higher grades than males. 27.3% of 47,475 female Biology A-Level candidates left school and college with an A or A*.
Given the data, you’d expect at least half of biomedical science jobs to go to women and for women to go on to assume 50%+ of high-paid positions of responsibility.
Concerningly, that’s not the case.
science careers are still biased towards men
According to the United Nations:
Female researchers are likely to have shorter, less well-paid careers
Women’s research is underrepresented in high-profile journals
Women are often passed over for promotion
12% of members of national science academies are women
In the UK, it’s concerning to see things getting worse for women in science, not better. According to the New Scientist, the gender pay gap in STEM widened in 2022, from 19.4% to almost 28% in the UK, and from 7% to 17% in Europe.
why it matters - and not only for women
We’re all feeling the spiralling effects of an economic and climate crisis. Gender equality is key to resolving both. Gender equality has strong positive effects on GDP per capita, which grow over time (more here). And, while Climate change is a threat multiplier, women have been shown to be solution multipliers (more here).
“Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will make a crucial contribution not only to economic development of the world, but to progress across all the goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well.”
women at Biovault
At Biovault, 57% of our team are female. Women work in a range of roles, including Laboratory Technician, Biomedical Scientist, Business Administrator and Laboratory Supervisor.
We actively take on work experience students - both male and female - so that girls and boys have an opportunity to visualise themselves in biotech jobs.
It should go without saying, but pay at Biovault is based on job role, not gender. We are also enormously flexible around childcare to make it easier for mothers and fathers to have fulfilling careers.
“Throughout my entire working life, I have had female bosses whose investment of time and energy into me is partly responsible for where I am now. The gender biases in our industry are sad, but I have seen a shift in my career. In my day to day, I see many more women in high-powered STEM jobs. ”