If I had a conversation with my 10-year-old self about my current studies, younger me would think I was crazy. When I was younger, I hated science, particularly math. I used to think that I could never be good a math and that there were some people in the world that think more logically and systematically, and others were more creative. I was good at arts, languages, interpersonal interactions, and I was planning on becoming an actress when I grew up. I would have never thought that I could end up in a scientific field. Looking back, I often wonder what shaped my mindset back then. I remember hearing sentences like: Boys are just better at math. As a girl you are way more sensitive about emotions but logic not so much. Male brains are based on logic and female brains on emotions.
These stereotypes shaped me, and I internalized the idea that science, in general, was never something that I could possibly succeed at. That all changed the more I spoke with fellow female students and teachers within science disciplines.
Every year in Germany there is this so-called Girl´s Day in which girls can sit-in and get to know the workplace of fields in which women are still underrepresented. It is a day created to encourage young girls to consider areas of work that are in stereotypically male dominated fields. One year a friend of mine convinced me to spend the Girl´s Day at the Institute for Chemistry and Biology at the Freie Universität in Berlin. I was so fascinated by the experiments they showed and the theory behind them. That day inspired me to study Chemistry after graduating from high school, despite my previous struggles with the sciences. To be honest, that plan did not last for too long but my interest in chemistry did and was one of the reasons why I started focusing increasingly on science in my last years of school and, ultimately, decided to undertake a Bachelor of Science. Having female role models and being in touch with women that are passionate about science helped me re-write my self-image and allowed me to realize that I can be quite good at math when I put my mind to it.
Women in science are still underrepresented even though they contribute substantially to ground-breaking research. Less than 4% of Nobel Prizes have been awarded to women and in Europe women only hold 11% of senior research positions (UNESCO Science Report, 2021). Those imbalances in gender representation are also visible in my daily life as a student. Even though most of my fellow students are female, lecturers and professors tend to be male and, particularly, in Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science this trend is pronounced. I remember starting my Research Project at UCL and coming into the open-plan office and being, apart from one other person, the only woman there. Starting to work on a new project can already be intimidating in itself but it becomes even more intimidating in an environment that is mainly male dominated. In the last decades, the number of women in science has increased substantially and continues to increase. This trend gives me hope that one day women might be equally represented in science. I am really excited to observe this change and be part of it by pursuing a career in science and by, hopefully, encouraging girls and women to feel empowered to go into science. I think it is very important to move away from prejudices like, “women are good at this”, and “men are good at that” and instead reinforce passion and strength individually regardless of gender.
March 2023 | Lioba Berndt
