This is a term I see a lot when reading articles about women in science. So I decided I would give a little introduction to “the pipeline” here – talk about what it is, why it’s important, the fact that it is leaky, etc. It’s an important concept, so here goes!
First of all, what is the pipeline?
In this context, the pipeline is a career path for a scientist in/entering academia. It theoretically takes you from your undergrad to grad school to post doc and then to a tenure-track professorship.
Why is the pipeline significant in issues relating to women in science?
Women scientists are much more likely to “leak out” of the pipeline before achieving a professorship. At each transition point, more women are lost. To increase women’s representation in the sciences, it is important to identify the causes of these leaks, and then to fix them.
What causes these leaks?
One cause of leaks could be having to choose between children and a scientific career. A recent study entitled “Keeping Women in the Science Pipeline” finds that married women with children are “35% less likely to enter at tenure track position after receiving their PhDs”. The study also found that the odds of a married woman with children entering a tenure track position are also 28% less than those of married women without children and 33% less than single women without young children. Married women without children also have the odds working against them; they are 8% less likely than married men without children to enter a tenure track position. Married women with children are also significantly less likely to receive tenure after entering a tenure-track position.
Discrimination could play a role too; according to a study by the Bayer Corporation, 40% of women and minority scientists say they were discouraged from pursuing a STEM career at some point in their lives.
What can we do to fix this?
Places that hire scientific researchers need to make sure they support women scientists who choose to have children. Tenured male scientists are much more likely to be married with children than female researchers. Female scientists are almost three times more likely to be single without children. It seems that there exists a situation in which female scientists, unlike male scientists, are forced to choose between a career in science and children. Female scientists should not be forced to choose one of the other. The availability of maternity leave among graduate students and postdoctoral fellows is pretty dismal, and paternity leave is even worse. New policies on maternity/paternity leave, and things like on-site child care could make it easier for those who have families to remain in scientific careers.
In addition, young women scientists considering families need to see that there are women who are science faculty and have families too. The study reports that female doctoral students tend not to see enough female faculty who “successfully combine work and family”. Perhaps seeing that it can be done will help women see that they don’t have to choose one or the other.
For more solutions, take a look at this article on Under the Microscope: Keeping Women in the Science Pipeline (Part 2): Solutions
