Sexism in stem

Women face constant discrimination within science

FEATURE| May 2026

North Dakota’s new state laboratory build is an undeniably big step for-ward in scientific development, and will help shape STEM as careers for more North Dakotans. Unfortunately, many people do not have equal and fair experiences within these careers.

When Dr. Phyllis Johnson walked into a job interview at the old North Dakota state laboratory in the early 1970s, she had recently graduated from The University of North Dakota with honors, a major in chemistry and an extremely high score on the state chemistry exam. However, her resume is not what the job interviewer seemed interested in.

“I was 22 years old, and the man who interviewed me was an older man, and I… I think the moment he saw me, that’s when he decided he didn’t want to hire me because I was a woman,” said Johnson while recounting the interview.

“The job was pretty elementary level stuff, analyzing fertilizer that was sold to farmers, making sure that the nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus levels matched up with what it said on the bag. It was simple stuff I was certainly capable of doing, but the guy who interviewed me tried to convince me that, because I would be analyzing fertilizer, I’d have to go out on farms and dig around in manure piles for samples. I had said ‘Well, that’s just fine with me. I’ve got boots and jeans. I can do that,’” said Johnson. “That’s just not the answer he wanted. Because I was a woman, he assumed I wouldn’t want to get dirty and that I couldn’t do the job.”

Unfortunately, Johnson’s story is far from the end of the sexism she has faced throughout her career. Her experiences are just a small fraction of many women’s stories within STEM fields. According to Pew Research, half of all women in STEM careers have faced sexism, and over one-third of women report sexual harassment as being an issue in their workplace.

Though Johnson faced adversity throughout her long career, she never let it stop her from success.

Johnson went on to earn a doctorate degree in chemistry from UND and began climbing the ranks until, eventually, she became the Director of the United States Department of Agriculture’s largest and most comprehensive research facility. Her tenure lasted from 1996-2008.

For her work, Johnson was recognized by President Bill Clinton and was presented the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive, an award given to the top five percent of senior executives across the Federal Government.

Johnson considers her greatest achievement was when she received the Sioux Award, the most prestigious award the University of North Dakota can present to a graduate.

After retiring from the USDA, when most would finally settle into retirement, she promptly became the University of North Dakota’s Vice President of research and economic development, starting in 2009, before retiring once more in 2014.

Throughout her entire career, she published more than 100 peer reviewed publications.

Johnson recommends to never quit trying and always keep dreaming. Her message to the next generation is: “Don't let bad people get you down.”

Change is needed and soon

Sexism in every career field continues to be a problem women constantly face.

Even with the Equal Rights Amendment of 1972, women still only make 81 cents to the dollar men make, as reported by NPR.

As of recent, these existing protections for equal rights are under attack, due the current Trump administration repealing an executive order that prohibits discrimination on sex, race and characteristics in work places.

Protecting these rights are essential to the careers of many, and further removal should not be considered.