By Robyn Grace
The achievements of Australian female scientists are less likely to appear in senior high school lessons despite millions of taxpayer dollars being spent attempting to channel more young women into STEM careers.
A study of curriculums for all major year 11 and 12 science subjects across the country has found only three states mention the work of a female scientist in their coursework – and she was from Britain.
Dr Kat Ross says the lack of female representation across science curricula is alarming.Credit: Wolter Peeters
The new research examined curriculum teaching material for the four main science subjects studied in years 11 and 12: biology, chemistry, physics and environmental science.
It found Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory all refer to British chemist Rosalind Franklin, whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA. Other states and the ACT exclusively reference the contributions of male scientists.
Lead researcher Dr Kat Ross became aware of the issue when she realised dual Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie – who did pioneering research in radioactivity – was missing from the NSW physics syllabus. That discovery led to a national study, which uncovered a lack of female representation across the board.
Ross said that unless time-poor teachers adapted lessons to include other examples, most courses would have no female role models.
“Year 11 and year 12 is such a critical stage for students to be thinking about what careers they’re pursuing,” she said.
“And for women, you’re essentially telling them if they want to pursue science ... there’s no future for them because there’s no recognition or acceptance that women are even a part of science. That’s obviously very incorrect and a really damaging representation of scientists to be giving to women at such a critical stage.”
The research, published in the Australian Journal of Education, examined each state’s curriculum to determine the extent to which a gender bias is present and to what extent it may be affecting the content of science courses.
NSW referred to 36 men across the subjects and no women. South Australia and the Northern Territory also referred to 36 men but included a reference to Franklin. Victoria referred to no women but only three men.
Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, the Australian government’s women in STEM ambassador.
Governments have spent more than $100 million to lift female participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) over the past decade, but results have barely budged. A government review released earlier this month showed the proportion of women in STEM-qualified occupations was only 15 per cent in 2022, up from 10 per cent in 2002.
Ross said the gender gap and general lack of diversity in science education, which commonly celebrated the “lone male genius”, probably fuelled low female participation in STEM.
“If we’re not highlighting the work of women and not having a frank discussion about what it means to be a woman in STEM, we’re not going to see any changes for the systemic and structural barriers in science,” she said.
“It’s bad science to do the same experiment over and over. So I don’t know why we would continue to do the same approach in education and expect a different result.”
Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, the Australian government’s women in STEM ambassador, said it was time schools were given better tools to excite and educate young people with a contemporary understanding of science and technology.
“The ... simply inaccurate narrative that old white men are responsible for all scientific discovery is embarrassingly dated and quite incorrect,” she said.
“One of the reasons why fewer girls study IT and engineering at year 12 ... is because they don’t see people like themselves working in those fields. By changing that perception, we can attract more talented people to these in-demand areas of work.”
The research was carried out by teams from Curtin University, Monash University, the Australian National University (ANU), the University of Southern Queensland, Edith Cowan University, and the Australian Wildlife Conservatory.
ANU PhD researcher Tegan Clark said the Queensland Curriculum Assessment Authority had taken steps since the research to rectify the problem in its science courses, providing both meaningful mentions of female scientists and modern examples of science.
The IncludeHER movement – an initiative founded by Ross that aims to increase the number of women in STEM fields – is encouraging other states to make similar changes.
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