Gender Inclusivity in Physics

Lukas Nacion

Marie Curie

Discovered two elements, and was the first to describe "radioactivity" and radioactive isotopes. She is the only person to have earned a Nobel prize in more than one field.

Maria Goeppert-Mayer

Discovered the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus. Worked extensively on the Manhattan project, where she developed a primordial method of refining Uranium.

Emilie du Chatelet

First French translation of Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica. The translation from obsolete Latin brought about a scientific renaissance to the rest of Europe.

Why gender awareness is important

There is consistently a reduced population of women in STEM fields, especially physics. Many attribute this to a fault in the women themselves, claiming that science is a "man's world." But, as you can see from just a few examples above, that is not true. Despite the reality, however, the apparent bias towards men is a means of discouragement, and thus less women feel successful. As Phelan et al. teaches us, socialization that physics is for males is the chief reason why there are less women in the field. In the aside video Rachel Ignotofsky explains that the best way to get more women in STEM is to teach more about women in STEM. Because of the role models that exist out there for women, more of them will feel a sense of belonging in purpose in the field, as their male counterparts would object to.

Pedagogical Methods

"The Center for History of Physics at the American Institute of Physics offers a free collection of nearly 60 lesson plans highlighting the invaluable scientific achievements of women and minorities in physics: (NSTA 2020). In this article by the National Science Teachers' Foundation, they detail many different examples on how to integrate more women in the science field, and they all share a common theme.

Habitus

French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu redefined this term to mean the set of preferences and dispositions that a person chooses to orient themselves in society. In the context of physics, this is a very clear masculine trait. The “effortlessly clever physicist” is a label given to students, and it involves inherently masculine criteria, almost designed to discourage women. Destruction of this habitus, or at the very least reformation of it, is needed to encourage more women to join the field.

Symbolic Violence

Many students are guilty of this, especially in high academic strata. Symbolic violence is the act of tearing oneself down due to their own perceived failure, often resulting in the subject giving up on their current undertakings. The common phrase "science is not for me" is a heinous culprit of many, especially women, acting on a self-fulfilling prophecy: that science is not in their future. This notion is deeply rooted in implicit sexism, and is the primary deterrent of having gender-diverse fields. It is our duty not only as future teachers, but as future role models to discourage discouragement and give the right push.

Exposure

As most of my sources have reinforced, it is critical to take that blinders off, as it were, to show that physics has not been a male-dominated discipline with the occasional female genius, but rather a tapestry of brilliant men and women contributing to the world in equally groundbreaking ways. With this reality of plagiarism and sexism brought to light, it will motivate women to not be physicists for the sake of breaking the status quo, but rather doing what they love.

Personal Implementations

The most obvious tactic is to give gender inclusive historical context. There are plenty of opportunities to throw in the occasional scientist, historical anecdote, or explanation behind who discovered what. With the right amount of respect and awareness, students will reform the habitus that science is a male-dominated field by façade only.
In my own experience, AP Physics is quite a daunting class, and many don't even consider putting it in their personal curriculum. When I took the course, there were about twelve students, four of which were girls. Just before the drop period ended, half the class dropped, leaving only one girl. To combat symbolic violence, dropping from physics courses should be discouraged as much as possible.

Sources

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