The United States has a major deficit in the proportion of women earning degrees in physics, peaking around 20%. To promote excellence and maximize creativity, additional efforts to diversify the physics community must be implemented. Challenges to improving the proportion of female physicists include microaggressions, active discouragement, poor advising or mentoring, inadequate acknowledgement of achievements, sexual harassment, and many others. The latest research on gender bias suggests two main underlying psychological themes that explain much of the behavioral bias: implicit (unconscious) bias and stereotype threat. To ensure that excellence is not compromised, we need to guarantee that our entire population has access to adequate resources and the necessary support structures for success. To fully understand women in physics, we must also examine the many obstacles that women of various identities face in efforts to navigate their academic and professional careers. These identities may be related not only to gender but also to race, ethnicity, language, religion, social class, or sexuality. Increasing women’s participation in physics requires increased access to high school physics courses, funding opportunities to attend college, availability of research opportunities, and access to and support from professional societies. These approaches will enhance the culture in physics, leading to gender equity, social equity, and improved social justice for many people.
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3 June 2019
WOMEN IN PHYSICS: 6th IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics
16–20 July 2017
Birmingham, UK
Research Article|
June 03 2019
Women in physics in the United States: Reaching toward equity and inclusion
Robin Bjorkquist;
Robin Bjorkquist
1
Cornell University
, USA
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Abigail M. Bogdan;
Abigail M. Bogdan
2
Seton Hill University
, USA
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Nicole L. Campbell;
Nicole L. Campbell
3
University of Michigan
, USA
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Mary Chessey;
Mary Chessey
4
University of California-Davis
, USA
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Geraldine L. Cochran;
Beth Cunningham;
Beth Cunningham
6
American Association of Physics Teachers
, USA
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Jessica N. Esquivel;
Jessica N. Esquivel
7
Syracuse University
, USA
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Laura Gladstone;
Laura Gladstone
8
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, USA
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Natalie M. Gosnell;
Natalie M. Gosnell
9
Colorado College
, USA
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Sathya Guruswamy;
Sathya Guruswamy
10
University of California
, Santa Barbara, USA
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Kelsey M. Hallinen;
Kelsey M. Hallinen
11
University of Michigan
, USA
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Candace Harris;
Candace Harris
12
Florida A&M University
, USA
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Angela Johnson;
Angela Johnson
13
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
, USA
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Jolene L. Johnson;
Jolene L. Johnson
14
St. Catherine University
, USA
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Christine Jones;
Christine Jones
15
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
, USA
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Regina A. Jorgenson;
Regina A. Jorgenson
16
Maria Mitchell Association
, USA
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Laura McCullough;
Laura McCullough
17
University of Wisconsin-Stout
, USA
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Tennille D. Presley;
Tennille D. Presley
19
Winston Salem State University
, USA
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Arlisa Richardson;
Arlisa Richardson
21
Maricopa Community College
, USA
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Sally Seidel;
Sally Seidel
22
University of New Mexico
, USA
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Chandralekha Singh
Chandralekha Singh
23
University of Pittsburgh
, USA
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AIP Conf. Proc. 2109, 050040 (2019)
Citation
Robin Bjorkquist, Abigail M. Bogdan, Nicole L. Campbell, Mary Chessey, Geraldine L. Cochran, Beth Cunningham, Jessica N. Esquivel, Laura Gladstone, Natalie M. Gosnell, Sathya Guruswamy, Kelsey M. Hallinen, Candace Harris, Angela Johnson, Jolene L. Johnson, Christine Jones, Regina A. Jorgenson, Laura McCullough, Marta D. McNeese, Tennille D. Presley, Nicole Quist, Arlisa Richardson, Sally Seidel, Chandralekha Singh; Women in physics in the United States: Reaching toward equity and inclusion. AIP Conf. Proc. 3 June 2019; 2109 (1): 050040. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5110114
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