The Construction of Physics as a Quintessentially Masculine Subject: Young People’s Perceptions of Gender Issues in Access to Physics

• Published in: Sex roles Vol. 76; no. 3-4; pp. 156 - 174
• Main Authors: Francis, Becky, Archer, Louise, Moote, Julie, DeWitt, Jen, MacLeod, Emily, Yeomans, Lucy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.02.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescents; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Careers; Citizen Participation; Compulsory Education; Cultural Capital; Data collection; Discourse analysis; Discrimination; Education policy; Educational Policy; Engineering; Equality; Ethnicity; Females; Gender Discrimination; Gender equity; Gender Issues; Gender Studies; Individualized Instruction; Masculinity; Mathematics Activities; Medicine/Public Health; Narratives; Original; Original Article; Parents & parenting; Physical sciences; Physics; Politics of Education; Psychology; Science education; Scientific Literacy; Sex Fairness; Sexes; Sexism; Social Class; Social Status; Sociology; STEM Education; White Students; Working women; Young Adults; Youth; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; Masculinity; Femininity; Gender equality; Education policy; Gender; Physics; STEM
• ISSN: 0360-0025; 1573-2762
• DOI: 10.1007/s11199-016-0669-z

The present article investigates explanations for gendered trends in Physics and Engineering access, reporting findings from a large-scale study funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and drawing primarily on data from interviews with 132 15–16 year-old adolescents and their parents. Survey results in our study and elsewhere show strong gender disparities in anticipated pursuit of Physics after completion of compulsory education. In order to explore the constructions of gender and Physics underlying these trends, we focus on qualitative interview data, applying Foucaultian analysis of discourse to investigate gendered narratives underpinning adolescents’ and their parents’ articulations. This analysis reveals three key discourses at work on the topic of women’s access to Physics: (a) equality of opportunity, (b) continued gender discrimination in and around Physics, and (c) Physics as quintessentially masculine. We additionally identify five distinct narratives supporting the discourse of physics as masculine. These various discourses and narratives are interrogated, and their implications explored. We conclude that it is only by disrupting prevalent constructions of the Physical sciences as a masculine and “hard” domain will we increase the presence of women in the sector. Working with young people to analyse and deconstruct the discursive assumptions made in relation to gender and Physics, as well as further work to increase accessibility and broaden representation in Physics, may be fruitful ways to challenge these longstanding associations between Physics and masculinity.