Cross-post: More Than a Name – Why Women in Physics Deserve Context

This cross-post from astrobites features an interview with Dr. Claire Davies from the University of Exeter on how female role models in STEM are presented in the media and why they deserve more context for their success. 

Dr. Davies has pioneered ‘PRISM Exeter’, a city-wide network for LGBTQ+ STEM students and professionals, and is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Exeter and the Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Department of Physics & Astronomy. 

Dr. Claire Davies
Photo: University of Exeter

In the interview, Dr. Davies states, "I’ve recently seen an infographic that shows a brief history of the roles of women in science and innovation. The way it presents it looks a bit misleading, as it implies that seemingly no women contributed to science between 2000 BCE and the 1700s. And when you look at some of the featured women, it’s just their name and a statement of what they did – you miss out on a lot of context and circumstances that made them extraordinary. It also doesn’t connect to the development of women’s rights throughout history – how wealthy you had to be to access education, or the role of your parents. I wish we weren’t at the stage where it’s just showing that women just existed."

Read the full interview on why women in physics deserve context at astrobites.