An essay about women in science

An essay about women in science

Learn how to write an essay that suggests reasons for and solutions to a problem.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Reading text

In most universities there are more male students than female students on science courses. What is the reason for this? What could be done to balance out the numbers?

In higher education, science subjects are typically dominated by male students. This negatively impacts the world of work, as fewer females then go into the science, technology and engineering sectors. This essay will explore the reasons for the lack of gender diversity in science and suggest ways to create equal opportunities in this area.

The most likely reason for the imbalance is that society reinforces the idea that boys and girls have different interests and abilities. We see this from a very early age when little boys are given cars and Lego while girls get dolls. The former are encouraged to build things whereas the latter learn to care for others. Later on, we are told that girls are better at languages or boys have better spatial awareness. In fact, there is no evidence that biological differences between the sexes make one gender more talented than another at a particular subject. It is society, not nature, that tells us girls should favour arts and humanities and leave maths and physics to the boys.

Coupled with this is the lack of positive female role models youngsters see doing science-related jobs. Cartoons and stories often show the crazy scientist, genius inventor, or adventurous astronaut as a man. Furthermore, there is an unfortunate perception that scientists are geeky, have poor social skills or that their work is lonely and detached from the rest of the world. These are false stereotypes portrayed by the media, but they may mean that girls do not identify with scientists, and see science as an unappealing career path. If girls saw more positive female role models in science it would give them more confidence and a greater sense of belonging in those subjects.

Given these points, it is important to tackle this issue right from a child's early education. By the time young women are at university, it may already be too late to disprove the view that science is 'not for them'. Hence, for very young children gender-neutral play needs to be encouraged. As children get older, both the education system and the media must raise awareness of female achievements in the field of science, as well as exposing them to a more diverse set of characters in books and films. We need to find ways to show young girls that science is fun, interesting, and, most importantly, theirs too.

Tips

  1. Read the question carefully. If the question asks you to discuss the reasons for a problem and suggest solutions, make sure you do both.
  2. In your introduction, restate the question in your own words and say what your essay will do. This essay will outline the reasons for … and offer solutions to the problem.  
  3. Plan the paragraphs of your essay before you write. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence that summarises the main idea of the paragraph.
  4. Develop your position fully by extending your ideas and using examples to support your arguments. Use linking expressions like Coupled with, Furthermore, In fact and Given these points to show what is coming next.
  5. Try to use a wide range of vocabulary. Use natural-sounding collocations like equal opportunities and role model. Avoid repetition by using synonyms or words with similar meanings: girls, young women, femaleschildren, youngsters. You can also use the former and the latter to refer to things you have just mentioned.
  6. Build the conclusion from the ideas in the essay rather than introducing new ones.

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Profile picture for user amit_ck

Submitted by amit_ck on Tue, 21/01/2020 - 15:54

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Sir, could you please read my essay, did I make any mistake or not? ANIMALS SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR THE BENEFIT OF HUMAN BEINGS, UNLESS THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT THE ANIMALS DO NOT SUFFER IN ANY WAY. Animals have been being used by human in numerous fields since time immemorial. Hence, the discussion weather animals ought to be utilized for the advantages of mankind is a very debatable/ arguable /controversial/ contentious issue. Individuals can be found on both sides of the argument with strong logics. However I moderately agree with this statement and in the following paragraphs I will prove with logical explanation. So, what factors can propel/compel individual not to use animals for the merits of humans? Several forces/motives can drive people towards this thought. First of all, animal right may be violated. For example, like humans, all living organisms have similar mandate to live independently in this universe. So, their habitats should not be ruined / destroyed by humans. Besides, ecological balance would also be endangered. For instance, the massive use of animals can lead to their extinction which results in adverse effects/impacts on environment. In addition, the use of animals in agriculture and transportation can be replaced on substituted by modern technologies which can lessen / reduce their sufferings. A range of factors on the contrary, can be found against this statement which should not be overlooked. To begin with, animals are a great source of food value. To exemplify, by consuming various meats of animals, people can obtain protein, minerals and fat which can help to overcome the deficiency of human’s health functioning. Apart from this, scientific experiments largely rely on animals to invent new medicines for various diseases. Imagine a scenario where scientists conduct a research for curing cancer on a sheep. Is it possible to carry out such a research on humans? To conclude, although animals benefit us in various ways, they must be protected and rendered in their own habitats so that our ecological balance sustains and people can live in this world without questioning others’ disturbance/obstacles survival.

Hi amit_ck,

Thanks for your interesting and thoughtful comment. I'm sure many other users of LearnEnglish will enjoy reading it.

I'm afraid we don't correct or check texts for users. We have thousands of users on the site every day and it's just not possible for our small team to do this. We do read every comment, however.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Irina Krivonogova on Mon, 06/05/2019 - 14:27

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In higher education in Russia, there are likely to be stereotypes about gender profession. Apparently, young men choose faculties in either engineering or computer programming domain. However, due to most women`s perspective, being an accountant is required by every local company. The most likely reason for the limited preferences in the society is how popular job is as well as if it is really well-paid. As a matter of fact, youngsters are deeply influenced by parents being anxious about their child`s future. Nowadays, statistics provide us with convincing figures about such beneficial positions in the job market as accountants and engineers. Therefore adults`choice might be evidently dominant. Coupled with this is a lack of variety of professions in local institutions. Apart from jobs mentioned above, teenagers, especially girls may apply for teaching foreign languages and linguistics faculty. However, boys have to study military subjects in any university in order to avoid serving in the army. Given these points, it is important to tackle this issue right from a child's early education. Young parents should be strongly concerned about their baby`s development at an earlier age. Furthermore, if books or films about inspirational mail and female celebrities are offered to them, they will become goal-oriented from childhood. Both girls and boys should speculate about their future profession due to interests and inspiration, but the gender they belong to.

Submitted by Waleedkhan on Thu, 21/02/2019 - 09:41

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In some countries few people earn extremely high salaries. Some people think that this is good for country, while other believe that the government should control salaries and limit the amount people can earn. Can someone write essay on this topic.