By Dr. Karin Lachmi
I wish I could report here that the world of science is different, and that this industry, which is full of highly-educated individuals, is more moral and has better values. When it comes to women’s rights, though, the situation isn’t any better. In fact, it might be worse. When looking at the Nobel Prize as an example, since 1901, the year that the Nobel was established, only two women have won the prize in physics, and only four women won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. This gender bias is also seen in other areas of science, as shown by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, which found that women are paid 20% less than their male counterparts who work in identical positions. The higher you ascend in the education system and in your career path, from elementary school all the way up to a tenured professorship, you will see a dwindling number of girls and women. At this point, sad as it is, gender disparity in the realm of scientific researchers is a fact, even an impossibly understated one.
