women in physics in china chinese physical society, beijing, china iupap international conference on...
TRANSCRIPT
Women in Physics
in China
Chinese Physical Society, Beijing, China
IUPAP International Conference on Women in PhysicsParis, France March 7-9, 2002
Since the early 20th century Chinese women physicists including Chien-Shiung Wu and Xi-De Xie have played a vital role in advancing the cause of physics throughout China and the world. In the last decades the number of women on the mainland choosing physics as a career has risen dramatically but is still behind the other sciences, and has also been affected by social and political factors. Although absolute numbers are high, the ratio compared to men, especially in higher ranking positions, is still low. Moreover, in recent years the ratio in research is even gradually decreasing. This contrasts with the ratio in physics teaching, which has remained more or less constant.
There is still much that we should do to encourage girls to study physics, and to improve conditions for women to enter research and leading university positions.
Professor5.1%
Associate Professor
17.8%
Women 20.8%Men
The Chinese Physical SocietyMembership in 2001
Female membership
Total Female Personnel 23,073 / 68,292 ~33.8%
Scientific and Technical Personnel 45,124
Senior level 16,618
Middle level 18,397
Junior level 10,109
Administrative Staff 7,597
Workers 15,571
Female Physics Full Prof. in research 100 / 1,377
Female Physics Full Prof. in administration 21 / 541
Chinese Academy of Sciences (1997)
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
<31 31-40 41-50 51-60 >61 Total
Ratio of Women Awarded NNSF Grants in Physics in 1986-2000N
um
ber
Age
Research Staff of Institute of Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 2001
year
nu
mb
er
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
% o
f w
om
en
total no
no of women
% of women
The percentage of women is going down!
Physics Faculty
in Shanghai Jiaotong University
male professors 38%
female professors 1%male associate professors 32%
female associateprofessors 10%
male assistant professors 14%
female assistant professors 5%
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01*
year
nu
mb
er
femaletotal
Percentage of Female Graduate Studentsin All Subjects in Shanghai
Ten thousand
Male Master CandidatesFemale Master CandidatesMale Doctor CandidatesFemale Doctor Candidates
Physics Graduate Enrollment (MS) in Shanghai JiaoTong University
0
20
40
60
80
77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01*
year
num
ber
female
total
Physics Undergraduate Enrollment in Shanghai JiaoTong University
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99
year
nu
mb
er
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
% o
f w
om
en
total no
no of women
% of women
Physics Undergraduate Enrollment in Nanjing University
The ratio of female undergraduates in many physics departments is low and erratic.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99
year
nu
mb
er
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
% o
f w
om
en
total nono of women% of women
The ratio of female physics undergraduates in normal universities is not so low, though still
erratic.
Physics Undergraduate Enrollment in Beijing Normal University
• Organize physics and applied physics competition programs specially for girls in secondary schools• Encourage girls in secondary schools to participate in creative activities and inventions in the physical sciences• Departments of physics should provide more
chances for girl students who are interested in physics
Our Recommendations
• Women professors and scientists in physics should give stronger support to young women in their research
Our Recommendations
Ling-An Wu, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yi-Cheng Xie, Beijing Polytechnic University
Min Wang, Experimental Senior School Attached to Beijing Normal Univ.
Yan-Lai Yan, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Man-Ling Sui, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hong Zhang, China Association for Science and Technology
Shu-Qin Tian, Chinese Physical Society, Beijing, China