Women in science: Is there a glass ceiling in the laboratory?

As is the case in many professions, women have had a difficult time obtaining parity in science. International and national studies aside, the circumstances at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation provide a window into the issues.

Of the 38 current "members" of the scientific staff -- i.e., principal investigator with permanent appointment -- nine scientists, or almost 24 percent, are women. Notably, women accounted for 40 percent of new hires at OMRF in the last decade.

Although women make up a significant percentage of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and young faculty in science today, nationwide only a relatively small fraction of the senior faculty ranks are filled by women. Indeed, only about 13 percent of the senior faculty in colleges and universities in the United States are women, according to a recent article in Science (286:1272-1278).

The OMRF does considerably better. Of the 29 senior faculty here, seven are women, representing nearly one quarter of the senior staff. However, only one female scientist has risen to the very top rank of faculty -- a program or department head -- and she recently relocated out of state. Currently there are no women serving at that level at the OMRF.

Why are women relatively under-represented in science, particularly at the senior ranks?

Several factors come into play. Science, like medicine, law, and business management, is not a 9-to-5 job. Most successful scientists - - both men and women -- seem to spend virtually all of their waking hours immersed in and conducting their research. Consequently, these scientists must strike a delicate balance between work and family. While this can be difficult for both women and men, women often bear a disproportionate share of a family's workload when children are small. Thus, the scientist who concentrates on his or her research, without the additional challenges and demands of a family, may experience more professional opportunities than a female scientist who splits time between work and family.

While the sample size is too small to be statistically significant, it is interesting that the only three women who have attained full member rank at the OMRF have no children at home. Furthermore, many women are surprised to find that there remain some subtle -- and sometimes not so subtle -- gender inequities. Indeed, according to the Science article, MIT President Charles Vest recently stated that MIT has "been guilty of systematically depriving distinguished women scientists of their fare share of salary, lab space, and other resources."

What improvements can the scientific community make?

As a first step, more women should be recruited into the sciences. Women should be encouraged to pursue scientific careers, beginning at a young age. Greater child care options would also help considerably. These are only two ways the scientific community can work towards gender parity. Since both women scientists and their institutions are recognizing the potential for unintentional discrimination and working to correct it, the situation for women scientists should improve.

Dr. J. Donald Capra is the president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. He may be reached at jdonald

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