Voices of women in physics...

We asked a few female physicists for their thoughts about why women are under-represented in the sciences, how this problem can be solved, and whether the challenges of pursuing a scientific career are different for women and men. Their responses were as diverse as their backgrounds. Here's what they had to say...

Margarete Muehlleitner is a theoretical physicist, a French university lecturer and a fellow in CERN's Theory Group. She says that in Germany, her home country, 'Only a small percentage of women studying physics go on to do a master's degree, and even fewer go further than that in their subject.' She continues, 'As far as I know, about 1% of university physics professors are women, a situation that hasn't changed much in 100 years!' In her opinion, this dramatic imbalance between the sexes can be explained by two problems. 'Women don't think they are capable of making a career in physics or maths,' she explains. 'I personally thought I was too stupid to make it and didn't dare try. I actually studied engineering for a year before I finally decided to venture into physics.' In addition to this problem of mentality, the childcare infrastructure for toddlers and infants is virtually non-existent in Germany. 'In Germany it is simply impossible to have children and pursue a career in science, where you need to be 150% committed,' she adds. 'I was lucky enough to have a husband who was willing to follow me wherever I went and to spend two years at home taking care of our child while he continued his studies.' Having a baby can pose problems for women who want to pursue a career in science. 'I was afraid of getting left behind and so carried on going to lectures during my maternity leave,' she says. In her opinion, girls in Germany need to be taught right from secondary-school age that they are just as capable of studying science as men are.

UK-born Pippa Wells, a CERN staff physicist and project leader of the ATLAS Semi-Conductor Tracker, managed to balance work and family life by having her three children after she had finished her postdoctoral positions and secured a stable position in her field. For her, it is the logistics of having children, and then caring for them in the early years, that causes difficulties for women trying to make a career out of physics. Gaps in a candidate's curriculum vitae can be off-putting to potential hiring managers, even if those gaps are the result of maternity leave. Nevertheless, Wells cautions, young girls should not be concerned about this when they are deciding whether they want to be physicists. 'The questions you should be asking yourself as a young woman interested in having a career in physics are, 'Do you find it interesting, inspiring?'' Wells said. 'And if you find it exciting, don't be intimidated by it.'

Géraldine Servant is a theoretical physicist from CEA-Saclay (France). She is currently on secondment to CERN, where she is a fellow. In her opinion, cultural and educational attitudes explain why fewer women than men take up physics. 'Action is needed at the secondary school level, as soon as girls reach adolescence, to show that careers in science are not only for men,' she says. Long studies followed by the repeated fellowships and changes of residence that you often need to go through before you secure a permanent job are not conducive to a stable family life. 'It's a problem for women, but for men too,' emphasizes Géraldine. 'When you decide to take up a career in science, you have to be aware that it is generally impossible to settle down in one location before you reach the age of 35. Most of the young theoretical scientists I know have no children and many are single'.

Etiennette Auffray Hillemanns is a CERN physicist. After coming to CERN in 1992 as a doctoral student, she moved up through the hierarchy to be awarded a permanent position at the end of 2005. 'It's true that when I was a student there was an imbalance between men and women. At my engineering school girls were in the minority and generally opted for chemistry in their third year rather than physics. There is certainly a problem of culture,' she adds. Etiennette has never experienced any problems or discrimination as a woman at CERN. 'On the contrary, I was very quickly given responsibilities,' she says. As the mother of two young girls, she feels that it's the organisational and logistical problems that are the most difficult to manage.

Francesca Cavallari is a physicist with Italy's National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) and a member of the CMS collaboration. She says that more women study science in Italy than in other European countries but they tend to go into teaching rather than research. 'It's a pity,' she says, 'because women are well suited to research. They have more patience and perseverance. What's needed is a balance between men and women.' In the course of her career, Francesca has never felt discriminated against but she sometimes notices some misgivings about women's abilities in sectors such as electronics and anything to do with heavy machinery which are considered, wrongly, to be 'masculine'. 'There is an implicit lack of confidence,' she says. 'We have to quickly prove our abilities and then everything's fine.' Francesca feels that there are not enough women in senior positions in research, especially at CERN. 'At INFN, my boss, Marcella Diemoz, is a woman, but she is an exception in the research field. Having women in senior positions could encourage young women to follow in their footsteps.'

Heidi Sandaker is a CERN fellow currently working on the inner detector and solenoid measurements for ATLAS. Born and educated in Norway, she says the variety of positions in physics makes it one of the better fields for women to work in. 'Physics is perfect for women. You have to work with your mind, with your hands...there's pure physics, theoretical physics, applied physics, mathematics, lots of computer work.... There's a multitude of options.' Sandaker says she has never been treated unfairly because she is a woman. 'You might argue differently, but if your arguments are equally valid, they are fairly judged. In the end, it's the best argument that wins--what's best for the detector. If you're choosing a career that is varied for women, you are safe in physics!'

For ATLAS physicist Pauline Gagnon, one of the problems for women in physics is the way in which the highest positions are distributed. She says that statistically the number of women in positions of seniority should have increased by now, based on the number of women working in the sciences; indeed, although the average number of working female researchers across the European Union is nearly 40 per cent, a recent study shows that in 2004 females filled only 11.3 per cent of A-grade management positions in the natural sciences, and only 5.8 percent in A-grade engineering and technology positions. Gagnon's response was to join with other ATLAS women to form the ATLAS Women's Network, which meets for lunch once a week to network and to discuss ways to improve the situation for women both in ATLAS and at CERN. Her advice to aspiring female physicists? 'Don't give up,' she says. 'And don't stay isolated. Seek the support of other women.'

Belen Gavela, a theoretical physicist at the Univeristy of Madrid, was the first woman to obtain a CERN staff position in the field of theory in 1989. Since then, only two other female theoretical physicists have followed in her footsteps. Belen believes there is a hidden discrimination that, among other things, prevents women from entering posts of responsibility. She is highly critical in this respect, especially with regard to CERN, where she points out that, 'for example, when I arrived, there were no child-minding facilities for women. I was against positive discrimination for a long time but now I realise that it's essential if we are to reverse the trend so that more women obtain senior positions in science and set an example for the girls and young women following behind them.'