The achievements of Australian female scientists are less likely to appear in senior high school lessons despite millions of taxpayer dollars being spent attempting to channel more young women into STEM careers.
A study of curriculums for all major year 11 and 12 science subjects across the country has found only three states mention the work of a female scientist in their coursework – and she was from Britain.
It found Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory all refer to British chemist Rosalind Franklin, whose work was central to the understanding of the molecular structures of DNA. Other states and the ACT exclusively reference the contributions of male scientists.
Lead researcher Dr Kat Ross became aware of the issue when she realised duel Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie – who did pioneering research in radioactivity – was missing from the NSW physics syllabus. That discovery led to a national study, which uncovered a lack of female representation across the board.
NSW referred to 36 men across the subjects and no women. South Australia and the Northern Territory also referred to 36 men but included a reference to Franklin. Victoria referred to no women but only three men.
Governments have spent more than $100 million to lift female participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) over the past decade, but results have barely budged. A government review released earlier this month showed the proportion of women in STEM-qualified occupations was only 15 per cent in 2022, up from 10 per cent in 2002.
Ross said the gender gap and general lack of diversity in science education, which commonly celebrated the “lone male genius”, probably fuelled low female participation in STEM.
Source: 12ft | Australian high school STEM curriculum pushes ‘lone male genius’ narrative