Academic Book Review: Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Upping the Numbers

Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Upping the Numbers
by Ronald J. Burke (Editor), Mary C. Mattis (Editor)

I would very much like to one day leaf through the introduction of a book or article about women and minorities in science/tech/maths without feeling like I am reading myself in the report of a formal psychological study of how victims are affected by psychological abuse. For starters I would like it to not be an accurate comparison.

This collection of papers, picked up out of curiosity from the “new” shelf of the academic library just outside my office, is an honest and up-to-date (2007) look at the issues facing women and minorities getting into scientific fields, the issues facing them once they get there, and the cultural and educational biases that keep them from wanting to get into a field where they will face these problems, every step of the way from grade school to corporate research or academic tenure. Sadly, unlike slightly older works where the numbers indicated more women and minority students in every major scientific field save Computer Science, it is obvious that in the past few years these groups are quitting the fields or abandoning the education required to enter them. Why? Standard “geek male” and other unhelpful stereotypes are still going strong, discrimination is still evident, cultural and biological parenting issues discourage women from high-commitment fields particularly in countries without adequate labor laws, glass ceilings hover. The book is chock full of references to recent National Science Foundation research on the matter, and none of it is heartening.

What is heartening is a very thorough “what to do about it” section full of ideas that sound obvious from the inside. Suggestions regarding early school programs, more educational focus on collaborative and hands-on work and other changes to teaching style, attempts to change the surrounding cultural issues and the like sit side-by-side with commentary on fixing overt and covert discrimination and other problems not unique to the sciences. Interviews with female and minority students are quoted extensively. Where possible, suggested changes are backed up with evidence for programs that have worked and best corporate practices found in the real world.  As a career software engineer with an interest in science before starting grade school, I don’t disagree with a word of it.

The work is, of course, a costly library textbook for its small size, targeted for academic institutions. Since these institutions are often part of the problem, perhaps someone who needs to see it will still find it useful. For my part, I will give it a shout-out as the best work I’ve yet seen on the subject. Maybe someday when I am old I will be able to take some time sabbatical-style and write about how we fixed this. I can dream.