More Than Half Of Biology Majors Are Women, Yet Gender Gaps Remain In Science Classrooms

September 3, 2014

Image Caption: To positively affect the participation differences in large classes, researchers from Arizona State University and University of Washington recommend using a pre-sorted list of student names to randomly call on them, rather than allowing students to raise their hands. The research team says that while students may be resistant to the method at first, it is a more equitable way to structure classroom discussions. Credit: Sandra Leander

Sandra Leander, Arizona State University

Identifying forces behind inequities important next step

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are traditionally heavily dominated by males, which is of great concern to universities as they try to improve student retention and achievement. One exception to that trend is in the field of biology. Of undergraduate biology majors, more than 60 percent are female, and about half of biosciences graduate students are women.

Given that, a common assumption is that biology is one STEM field that no longer faces gender inequalities. However, researchers with Arizona State University and the University of Washington have proven otherwise. In the largest known analysis of gender differences in introductory college-level biology courses, researchers have found evidence of gender-based gaps in both achievement and class participation.

The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Cell Biology Education Life Sciences Education, published quarterly by the American Society for Cell Biology.

Often, gender differences are assumed to be present only in fields where males outnumber females, and where there is a strong emphasis on math, said Sara Brownell, assistant professor with ASUs School of Life Sciences. But we are seeing it in undergraduate biology classrooms that do not focus on math where females make up about 60 percent of the class indicating that this could potentially be a much more systemic problem. Its likely this is not unique to physics or biology, but rather true of most undergraduate classrooms.

Researchers studied 23 classes at a research one (R1) university over a two-year period. The courses included mostly sophomores and biology majors, and were generally taught by two instructors each. Of more than 5,000 students enrolled in the courses, nearly 60 percent were female.

After studying exam performance and class participation, scientists discovered that even with similar college GPAs, female students had average exam scores of 2.8 percent lower than male students. In addition, while female and male students were equally likely to ask a question during class, when asked to volunteer responses to questions, 63 percent of males on average spoke up even though they comprised only 40 percent of the classroom.

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More Than Half Of Biology Majors Are Women, Yet Gender Gaps Remain In Science Classrooms