If all scientists were women | Gaby da Silveira Pinheiro | TEDxFrancisHollandSchoolSloaneSquare
The speaker argues that systemic bias has historically obscured the essential contributions of women to science, citing examples like flawed medical diagnostics and overlooked discoveries. She posits that a more equitable representation of women scientists would lead to improved collaboration, fairer outcomes, and a more accurate understanding of the human experience. The central call to action is to move beyond mere theoretical concepts toward actionable equality in representation across all STEM fields.
## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker presenting in a thought experiment format.
- Addressing the underrepresentation of women in science.
- Uses hypotheticals to illustrate the systemic bias against women's scientific input.
## Theses & Positions
- Excluding women's contributions from science leads to major blind spots in fields like medicine, resulting in flawed models and missed diagnoses.
- Scientific advancements are enhanced by acknowledging and integrating all perspectives, arguing that a greater number of female scientists would improve collaboration and communication.
- The goal is not female dominance, but achieving fair and equal representation of all groups—including gender, race, ethnicity, and disability status—in science.
- The lack of representation causes tangible losses in our current day-to-day lives and societal understanding.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Scientific Bias:** The systemic oversight or minimization of contributions from women, resulting in knowledge gaps (e.g., basing models on male physiology).
- **Gender Parity in Science:** The ideal state where women and men have equal representation and equal credit for scientific contributions.
- **STEM Fields:** Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
- **Representation:** In this context, means being included and having one's contributions acknowledged in scientific discourse and practice.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Biased Modeling:** Using male physiology exclusively for developing standards in areas like seat belt dimensions and painkiller dosages, ignoring female anatomy (breasts, hips, etc.).
- **Diagnostic Delay:** Specific conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome and cervical cancer, have seen diagnoses delayed or overlooked because biological men do not experience them.
- **Improved Collaboration:** The speaker notes that studies suggest women tend to work more collaboratively and favor group consensus, which could improve lab environments.
- **Knowledge Gap:** The lack of diverse input means that innovations, even those that seem universally applicable (like menstrual pad absorbency testing using water instead of real blood), suffer from inaccurate assumptions.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Historical Pattern:** Women's discoveries have often been credited to men, sometimes with delayed recognition lasting for years or even centuries.
- **Recent Data Points:**
- UNESCO report: As of February 2024, women account for a minority of global researchers (one in three).
- 2019 US Census data: Proportion of female workers in all fields was **48%**, but in STEM fields was only **27%**.
- UK data: Female workers in STEM increased by almost **20.8%** between 2016 and 2019, although the workforce was still only **24%** female in 2019.
## Named Entities
- Oregon Health and Science University — location of researchers who questioned pad absorbency testing.
- UNESCO — organization that released the report on the minority status of women researchers.
- US Census — source for the 2019 data on female worker proportions.
- The Society for Women Engineers, The Association for Women in Science STEM, Women Into Science and Engineering, Women in STEM, STEM to Flower — organizations dedicated to addressing the disparity.
- The Office for National Statistics — source of UK STEM workforce data.
## Numbers & Data
- Proportion of women researchers globally (UNESCO, Feb 2024): **1 in 3**.
- Proportion of female workers in all fields (US Census, 2019): **48%**.
- Proportion of female workers in STEM fields (US Census, 2019): **27%**.
- UK STEM increase (2016 to 2019): Almost **20.8%**.
- UK STEM female percentage (2019): **24%**.
- Painkiller weight difference (Esther H Chen, 2008): Women were median **16 minutes** longer than men.
- Heart attack misdiagnosis rate (Dr. J Hector Pope, 2000): Women are over **five times more likely** than men to be sent home after misdiagnosis of acute myocardial infection.
## Examples & Cases
- **Flawed Testing Example:** Menstrual pad companies previously used water instead of real menstrual blood to test absorbency, enabling ongoing ignorance about menstrual flow reality.
- **Medical Misdiagnosis Case:** Dr. J Hector Pope's 2000 study showing women are over five times more likely to be sent home after a doctor misdiagnosed acute myocardial infection.
- **Colloquium Setting:** The speaker compares a theoretical "if all scientists were women" world to the current reality to highlight bias.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The speaker dismisses the absolute "if all scientists were women" premise as being "a little silly to consider" because "we are still far away from even parity let alone female dominance."
- The speaker clarifies that the thought experiment is not advocating for excluding men from science, but rather illustrating the essential value of women's contributions.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The ideal scenario requires fair and equal representation of *all* groups in science.
- Actionable steps include continuing to create opportunities for women and girls in science and ensuring all scientists receive proper credit.
- The ultimate goal is to eliminate bias and leave no one out of research and development.
## Implications & Consequences
- **Loss of Knowledge:** Ignoring women’s science means losing potential advances in fields from basic biology to engineering.
- **Societal Reflection:** Understanding this disparity helps assess what day-to-day lives and societies would look like if women had always been fully included and welcomed in scientific discussions.
- **Workplace Improvement:** Increased female representation is expected to foster better work relationships and reduce authoritarianism compared to current norms.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"if in the course of all time there were no women discovering inventing gamechanging we would have to live without wifi windshield wipers the knowledge of the double helix video home security systems chemotherapy the knowledge of radiation computer algorithms even the electric computer itself"*
- *"their hard work was credited for years sometimes even centuries to men"*
- *"thereby either completely ignoring the unique features of a woman's body from breasts to larger hips and Beyond"*
- *"it can't be that bad it's just part of being a woman"*
- *"a group of female researchers from Oregon Health and Science University have about how menstrual pad companies have up until recently used water instead of real menstrual blood to test the absorbency of their products"*
- *"women were not only less likely to receive pain medicine for acute abdominal pain but their median weight time was 16 minutes more than that of the men"*
- *"what would a male scientist speak up the same way a group of female researchers from Oregon Health and Science University have"*
- *"This idea although incredibly intriguing is a little silly to consider as we are still far away from even parity let alone female dominance"*
- *"what we can gain from gender parity in science not just how the future of science would differ but where we are in the present"*
- *"I'm not advocating for men to be excluded from science this is a thought experiment meant to illustrate that women are essential in the advancement of this world"*