Gender in STEM Research – Gender Research in STEM –Challenges in Physics Helene Götschel Working Group Gender in STEM Department of Mechanical and Bio Process Engineering University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hannover/Germany Accelerating ERA Development by Promotion of Gender Equality in STEM Research – Gender in Physics Day Vilnius University, 2017-11-21

Gender Research in STEM – Challenges in Physics Gender Studies Perspectives Gender and Physics – Research Results and Examples Brief Summary

I. GENDER STUDIES PERSPECTIVES Gender is a social category in opposite to the biological sex. People “have” a gender, they are men and women (and third gender), they are male or female (or non binary). Gender Research analyses e.g. the underrepresentation of women in physics.

I. GENDER STUDIES PERSPECTIVES Moreover, Gender is a binary sociocultural concept. It is not (so much) reflecting on men and women but reflecting on norms, ideas and prejudices created by society (about masculinity, femininity, heteronormativity, inclusions, exclusions, ideal bodies,…). People “do” or “cite and perform” gender. In doing so they get classified as “men” or “women”. Gender Research analyses social constructions and cultural representations, e.g. the image of physics as a masculine field.

Gender Research in STEM – Challenges in Physics Gender Studies Perspectives Gender and Physics – Research Results and Examples Brief Summary

II. Gender and Physics II.1. People in Physics II.2. The Culture of Physics II.3. Image of Physics

II.1. People in Physics

II.1. People in Physics International statistics show that women appear to be in the minority in physics in many Western industrial countries, but their low percentage is not to be taken as a biological fact. Biographical studies on historical and contemporary physicists explore the situation of women (minorities, people) working in the field. Some concentrate on biographies of individual outstanding physicists, other studies question the working-life and conditions that female physicists encounter in academia, industry, or education.

II.1. People in Physics Professor of Particle Theory Mary Gaillard (1939 - ) Positions: 1964-1981 Researcher at CERN, 1982-2009 Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, since 2009 Researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Scientific achievements: Prediction of the charmed quark mass, three-jet events, the bottom quark mass. Political achievements: Report on Women in Scientific Careers at CERN. In: CERN-Report CERN/DG-11 from March 8th, 1980

II.2. The Culture of Physics Historical, sociological, and anthropological studies on physics as a workplace culture shift the focus from - the “problem of women and minorities in physics” to - the “problem of physics with women and minorities”. These research gives insight into the external and internal processes that - create a welcoming or chilly climate for women and minorities at the workplace and that - encourage or discourage their careers in physics.

II.2. The Culture of Physics in Europe Cathrine Hasse & Stine Trentemøller (2008) et al. analysed workplace cultures in 5 European countries (Danmark, Estland, Finland, Italy, Poland) 3 Styles of doing physics: - Worker Bee: performance of duties, 9-5, clear hierarchy - Caretaker: team work, in-group-competition inacceptable - Herkules: highly competitiv, lone fighters, devotion to physics Gendered workplace cultures: Herkules cultures were highly dominated by men. Gender overshadowes competencies.

II.2. The Culture of Physics in Germany “genderDynamics. Disciplinary Cultures and Research Organizations in Physics” Ethnographical studies observing solid state physics, chemical physic, particle physics and biophysics research groups at 4 Universities, 4 Research Institutes, and 2 research clusters.

II.2. The Culture of Physics

II.3. The Image of Physics Physics is masculine and professional, it is competitive and exclusive, … Apart from a few Asian physicists, it is predominantly white, straight, middle-class male researchers whose contributions have been recognized in the annals of history, despite the image of physics as objective and universal.

II.3. The Image of Physics As a scholar teaching basic physics in mechanical engineering at a university of applied sciences I ask myself the research questions: How can I keep in mind that gender is a binary sociocultural concept while teaching basic physics? How can I support my students to critically question the image of physics and transcend norms around gender, identity, narratives, cultures, facts, and other powerful social categories that shape hegemonic presentations of physics and physicists?

II.3. The Image of Physics: masculine Physics books (and popular magazines) are dominated by male scientists and sportsmen in addition to racing cars, weapons, and machines which symbolize manliness and reiterate the masculinization of physics. Choosing “atypical” sports or genders for learning tasks challenges masculinity and opens up a space for the reflection of normative examples.

II.3. The Image of Physics: competitive and exclusive The study of material-discursive choreographies helps to understand the gender dynamics that occur in physical demonstrations, e.g. of Newton‘s 3rd Law of Motion.

Gender Research in STEM – Challenges in Physics Gender Studies Perspectives Gender and Physics – Research Results and Examples Brief Summary

III. Brief Summary What inspiration can physicists and policy makers get out of a Gender Studies Perspective in physics? - Gender is more than counting statistics, supporting women, and encouraging girls to participate in science and technology. It is to look at the culture and image of physics and to analyse, understand, challenge, rise awareness and finally change it. It is accelerating institutional and cultural change for (minorities and) gender equality.