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There is copious evidence that science suffers from a gender bias which plays out in academic hiring, promotions, teaching evaluations, awards, and publishing.

Science is no exception to the hiring bias against women that is found in many industries. This bias is even more pronounced against mothers or women who might have children. For those women with families, the pressures of a career in science (which include pressure to publish and work towards tenure) render maternity leave and childcare a challenge.

There are also systemic issues with sexual and gender-based harassment in the sciences, most of which affects women, especially ethnic minority women, as well as sexual or gender minorities. This issue can alter the careers of victims and prevent them from doing research to the best of their abilities, thus causing science as a whole to suffer.

While there have been many significant strides towards increasing gender equity in science, there are still significant and pervasive barriers that can make it more difficult for women and gender minorities to succeed in academic science. For publics engaging with scientists or scientific research, the unequal representation can influence their opinions about who can do or contribute to science.

This year marks the 30 year fall of the Berlin Wall. When the world is becoming increasingly obsessed with building them, let’s break down the walls in science!