Does the glass ceiling still govern the careers of women scientists?

“Women scientists can also have an impact for the research they conduct, declared Emmanuelle Charpentier, co-Nobel Prize winner in chemistry in 2020. This also shows that research, at present, is also done with women.

And I hope it will continue because I see a lot of young female scientists who decide to give up research.

A reality that is still difficult to perceive in view of the various studies and other reports: in Higher Education in 2017, girls were only 36% in science and 27% in engineering training, according to the association Femmes et Sciences .

However, as today we celebrate the World Day of Women and Girls in Science, is the trend reversing?

“Not really, admits Isabelle Pianet, president of Women and Science.

Between the reform of mathematics two and a half years ago and gender stereotypes well anchored in our society, young girls more easily leave science aside.

No wonder for this research engineer at the CNRS when we still hear today “that a boy who does well is brilliant and that a girl who does well is that she works”.

“I have no evidence that these acts were sexist but…”

“During my final year, my philosophy teacher clearly said that I would not succeed in the preparatory class and that I would never be an engineer.

He heavily insisted that a negative review be noted in my file.

Of course, I have no proof that these acts were sexist acts, but I remain convinced that he would never have behaved in such a way with one of the boys in my class.

Moreover, how could he judge my success in a scientific preparatory class when he was a literature teacher?, testifies Valentine to

.

Fortunately, my schooling proved him wrong since I got my engineering degree”.

Clara, a science researcher, also made this observation: “Given the lack of positions and the way in which the competitions are organized, only people with a very good network and very significant support make it.

For my part, as soon as I was looking for a thesis scholarship, I was systematically ranked behind men, it only continued during competitions.

Just look in the labs: women are very well represented among "PhD students", but the higher you go in the hierarchy, the more women disappear.

»

Isn't ironizing about parity and affirming that women and young girls are not interested in sciences qualified as “hard” simplistic if they don't have role models to identify with?

Isabelle Pianet, she tempers: “We have to show them accessible models.

Not everyone is Marie Curie.

And we have the right to do science anyway!

“And the president of Sciences and women to continue:” But in school books, the trades are still very stereotyped: women will take care of children, care.

Hence the importance, according to her, of “intervening from an early age”.

The glass ceiling still has a bright future ahead of it

At 49, Céline has managed to impose herself in a world that didn't really want her.

"Throughout my schooling, I was told that I couldn't become an engineer, that it was better to do a good baccalaureate B than a bad baccalaureate C, that I was a girl so that I worked a lot but that I I was at the peak of my abilities.

But by dint of resignation and with the support of her parents, she obtained her degree in mechanical engineering, followed part of her studies in the United States and now holds a position of vice-president where she leads groups research in a large international company.

But at what cost ?

The glass ceiling, a hackneyed term from being tossed about all over the place, is however a glaring reality.

"The bias on skills in science and mathematics happens during the year of CP", analyzes Isabelle Pianet.

Gender stereotypes definitely die hard.

"Promoting science to young girls is not the prerogative of women", still laments the president of Women and Science, in which only 5% of the members are men.

A gap dug by the 2019 reform

To an already very unbalanced situation was added Jean-Michel Blanquer's 2019 reform: "At 15-16 years old, it's rare to know what you want to do, so it's important to remain a general practitioner as long as possible. possible”, analyzes Isabelle Pianet.

All selective training today, the preparatory classes, except the literary ones, require a high level of math and therefore education until the end of the year at a minimum.

However, in two years, the proportion of girls taking more than 8 hours of mathematics lessons in terminale has dropped from 41% in 2019 to 31% in 2021, while the proportion of girls in terminale is still stable.

"Teachers alerted us in 2019 to the fact that girls gave up matches more easily," says Isabelle Pianet.

Should we then take an example elsewhere in the world?

“In the United Arab Emirates, there are a lot of women in maths and computer science because they can practice from home, observes Isabelle Pianet, men favor

and “give” them space in science”.

Take the place or assert their power?

“We experience inequalities today as women.

Once we know that, it's up to us to adapt and move on”.

This is the conclusion of our reader Elsa, "doped with

.

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