Supporting Women and Girls in Science

In 2015, the United Nations declared that February 11 would be the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The purpose of this day is to encourage more participation of women and girls in the science fields. More information is on their website: International Day of Women and Girls in Science | United Nations. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2019, “[d]espite making up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, women are still vastly underrepresented in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce. Women made gains – from 8% of STEM workers in 1970 to 27% in 2019 – but men still dominated the field. Men made up 52% of all U.S. workers but 73% of all STEM workers.” (Women Making Gains in STEM Occupations but Still Underrepresented (census.gov))

The Mercer County Library System has a wealth of resources for girls and women interested in science. Books for adults include:

10 Women Who Changed Science, and the World by Catherine Whitlock and Rhodri Evans, tells the moving stories of the physicists, biologists, chemists, astronomers and doctors who helped to shape our world with their extraordinary breakthroughs and inventions, and outlines their remarkable achievements. These scientists overcame significant obstacles, often simply because they were women. Their science and their lives were driven by personal tragedies and shaped by seismic world events.

If you are interested in this book, the Ewing Branch will be holding an in-person Book Group Discussion about it on Wednesday, March 29, at 7:00 p.m. If Available, Event Link could go here

The Only Woman in the Room: Why Science is Still a Boys' Club by Eileen Pollack offers lessons from her experiences growing up in the 1960s and 70s, dreaming of a career as a theoretical astrophysicist. Denied the chance to take advanced courses in science and math, she nonetheless made her way to Yale where, despite finding herself far behind the men in her classes, she went on to graduate, summa cum laude with honors, as one of the university's first two women to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. And yet, isolated, lacking in confidence, and starved for encouragement, she abandoned her ambition to become a physicist. Years later, she spent six years interviewing her former teachers and classmates and dozens of other women who had dropped out before completing their degrees in science.

A Lab of One's Own: One Woman's Personal Journey Through Sexism in Science by Rita R. Colwell is a memoir-manifesto from the first female director of the National Science Foundation about the entrenched sexism in science, the elaborate detours women have taken to bypass the problem, and how to fix the system.

Count Girls In: Empowering Girls to Combine Any Interests with STEM to Open Up a World of Opportunity by Karen Panetta and Katianne Williams presents compelling research in a conversational, accessible style, and provides specific advice and takeaways for each stage of schooling from elementary school through college, followed by comprehensive STEM resources.

Lab girl by Hope Jahren is a biography of Dr. Jahren’s experiences building three laboratories in which she's studied trees, flowers, seeds, and soil. She tells about her childhood in rural Minnesota with an uncompromising mother and a father who encouraged hours of play in his classrooms’ labs; about how she found a sanctuary in science, and the disappointments, triumphs and exhilarating discoveries of scientific work

For younger readers, some of the books available through MCLS on this topic are:

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky is a collection of artworks inspired by the lives and achievements of fifty famous women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, from the ancient world to the present, with profiles of each notable individual.

Science Superstars: 30 Brilliant Women Who Changed the World by Jennifer Calvert and Octavia Jackson introduces 30 remarkable women whose passion and dedication to all things science led to groundbreaking discoveries, vital medicine, essential technology, and cutting-edge inventions that changed the world.

She Persisted in Science: Brilliant Women Who Made a Difference by Chelsea Clinton. Chelsea and Alexandra Boiger introduce readers to women scientists who didn't listen to those who told them "no" and who used their smarts, skills and persistence to discover, invent, create, and explain.

Temple Grandin by Ruby Cardona is part of a series of books for the youngest readers; the titles are here.

If you want to research specific science topics, a number of databases are available through the MCLS website: Science and Technology - Mercer County Library System (mcl.org).

Many believe that the more women who join science fields, the less sexism and discrimination girls and women will face in science education and careers. I hope these resources encourage more girls and women to pursue an interest - and even a career - in the many areas of science that are out there!

- by Sharon S., Ewing Branch