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Fewer women than men pursue research careers after their PhDs
Research released today has revealed that female chemistry and biochemistry PhD students are less likely to pursue a career in scientific research then their male counterparts.
The research, funded by the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (UKRC), followed up earlier Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC) funded research which showed that although 72% of female first year chemistry students intend to stay in research after their PhD, this figure drops to only 37% in the third year. This trend is not seen amongst male chemistry students where the proportion of male chemistry PhD students intending to pursue a career in research after completing their PhD fell by only 2% - from 61% amongst first year students to 59% amongst third year students.
The findings show that, conversely, the difference between male and female students looking to pursue a research career after completing PhDs in molecular biosciences is much smaller – 58% of female respondents compared to 69% of male respondents. Furthermore, results suggest that fewer female than male students had the intention of entering a research career before embarking on their PhD studies.
The full contents of the reports highlight the under-representation of women in science, engineering and technology (SET), with females making up only 14% of the UK workforce.
The research was carried out in collaboration with the Biochemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). It aims to contribute towards the expanding body of work which addresses the gender imbalance within SET by studying the PhD experience and analysing whether it is a less positive experience for females than males.
It also highlights differences in the experience of PhD student in different subjects. Chemistry and molecular bioscience students have significantly different experiences during their PhDs.
Annette Williams, Director of the UKRC, said: “Whilst there is not a marked gender imbalance in students studying chemistry first degrees the gap suddenly widens when it comes to post-PhD research and industry positions. The research suggests that the PhD experience may be contributing to the loss of women from scientific research.
“In biosciences women and men are in approximately equal proportions at PhD level – in fact, it is an area of SET that is often considered to be more attractive to females than subjects such as physics, IT and engineering – but although many women and men intended to stay in research after their PhDs, women were more likely to say that that they did not plan long-term careers in research.
“The UKRC is addressing the reasons why only a third of the half a million women qualified in SET are currently working in the sector. In this time of heightened skills shortages, especially in specialist areas of scientific research, these qualified women represent a pool of untapped talent which potentially has a massive part to play in UK innovation, and employers must look for ways of attracting and retaining them in research positions.”
Another key issue is the strength of the relationship between students and their supervisors and how this differs depending on gender. 94% of male molecular biosciences students report they had an excellent or good relationship with their supervisor compared to 81% of female respondents. An enhanced mentorship programme was one potential improvement cited by many students.
Though many PhD students in Molecular Bioscience want to pursue a research career, a third of respondents rate their awareness of their job options outside academia as poor or very poor. This clearly indicates a need for better careers advice and information for young scientists.
Chris Kirk, Chief Executive of the Biochemical Society, said that although the vast majority of students who responded to the survey were positive about their PhD experience, there are some areas of concern. In particular the fact that many women perceive a career in science to represent a strain on work-life balance appears to be an underlying cause of the loss of many talented women to the sector.
Sean McWhinnie, Science Policy Manager at the RSC, commented: “The RSC is already working with chemistry departments to promote good practice and thus improve working conditions for both men and women. This research underlines the need to spread that work to good practice in PhD supervision.”
“The RSC believes that it is good that chemists work in all areas of society but we also want more talented women to feel that they can have rewarding careers in chemistry research.”
Overall, whilst there is much to celebrate in the reports, they do raise questions about whether the PhD experience is less positive for women than men and whether this impacts on their career intentions.
Read a pdf of the main report here.
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