An absence of women scientists featured in UK exam board specifications for science could be a factor in the disproportionate number of girls dropping STEM subjects at 16, and contributing to the gender gap in STEM careers, new research from the University of Cambridge has found.
The study, which analysed the UK’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 UK 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.
