A debate erupted in the scientific community over a video uploaded to a science YouTube channel in early January. This YouTube channel, which has 2.37 million subscribers, runs a science talk content titled "Seeing Science," and in celebration of its 100th episode, it invited 15 scientists to discuss various topics. However, all 15 scientists who appeared to represent various scientific fields were Namsung.
Comments on the video pointed out the lack of gender diversity and questioned how there were no notable female scientists or science communicators available. In response, a female science communicator posted a "list of female scientists/communicators who are good at public speaking" on her social media. One male scientist who appeared in the video also expressed his disappointment, stating, "I wish more female scientists were featured."
This YouTube video and the surrounding controversy serve as a mirror reflecting the current state of the South Korean scientific and technological community. Male scientists take center stage, attracting public attention, while sufficient opportunities are not provided for female scientists.
February 11 marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Established by the United Nations to ensure that women and girls have equal participation and opportunities in the science and technology sector, this year marks its 10th anniversary, but the glass ceiling remains strong in the South Korean scientific and technological community. The proportion of female researchers in South Korea was 22.2% as of 2021, the lowest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
◇Proportion of female researchers…32% among newcomers, 8.8% in leadership
The proportion of female researchers in South Korea has not always been low. According to the Korea Women in Science and Technology (WISET), although the percentage of female newcomers among researchers is 32.1%, the issue lies in that this percentage decreases as one moves up the ranks. Among regular employees, the female proportion is 22.7%, while among those in positions of responsibility, it drops to 12.5%. In leadership roles, it falls to 8.8%. The number of female researchers who abandon their careers for various reasons, including childcare, is not small.
The point at which the gender gap is largest coincides with marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth, specifically for ages 35 to 39. Among males and females in the natural and engineering fields within that age group, the gap in labor force participation rates reaches 31.3 percentage points. This is a major cause of career interruption, reflecting the reality that female researchers find it difficult to continue their research. Moon Ae-ri, the director of WISET, noted, "It's difficult to manage pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, and research simultaneously, and the rapid advancement of the science and technology field makes it hard to re-enter after a career break. According to the Economist's glass ceiling index, South Korea has the worst gender gap among OECD countries, which is projected to take 134 years to resolve."
Kang Yun-cheol, chairperson of the WISET Next Generation Committee, stated, "Doctoral students usually have elementary school-aged children, and the difficulties are greater for graduate students in childcare, who have to balance research with childcare, unlike employed individuals who can focus on childcare after work. It is regrettable that capable students who also excel in research are forced to stop everything due to childbirth and childcare."
◇Increasing participation of female researchers improves research quality
How do overseas researchers view the glass ceiling issue in the science and technology sector? On the 6th, officials from the Nature Index and the Korea Gender Innovation Center gathered at the Seoul City Tower Building to discuss gender innovation measures in the science and technology field. The Nature Index, operated by the international journal Nature, pointed out in its special issue on Korea last August that "gender inequality in research funding and leadership is a serious problem faced by South Korea," and that "policies for hiring, retaining, and promoting female researchers are crucial tasks tied to the nation's future." That day served as a forum to seek solutions.
Researchers attending the roundtable emphasized that expanding opportunities for female researchers is not merely a benefit but a necessary choice to enhance the quality of research. Cassidy R. Sugimoto, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S., stated, "Female researchers tend to consider gender in their research, and as the number of female researchers increases, research integrating gender will naturally increase, playing a significant role in promoting gender innovation."
Research integrating gender considers gender differences throughout the entire research process, aiming to produce more comprehensive and reliable scientific results. It seeks to enhance the accuracy and applicability of research by incorporating gender differences in selecting research subjects, experimental design, data analysis, and interpretation of research outcomes.
For example, in medical research, failing to consider differences in drug responses based on gender may lead to inappropriate treatments for specific genders. In fact, many drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been reported to have insufficient clinical trials for women, resulting in more significant side effects. Additionally, if artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are trained on male-centered data, they may lead to unfavorable medical diagnoses for women.
Expanding female participation in research is becoming a necessity in South Korea. As global collaborative research increases, domestic researchers are often receiving funding from overseas research institutions. A representative example is the European Union's Horizon Europe program, which South Korea joined this year. Horizon Europe takes into account gender characteristics such as the proportion of female researchers when selecting research projects that receive funding. Several international academic journals also require researchers to indicate whether gender was considered in their research design when submitting papers.
Yang Jeong-mo, a program officer at the National Research Foundation of Korea, assessed, "Currently, while some policies supporting female researchers are being implemented in South Korea's research funding system, policies to promote gender-integrated research funding allocation are still lacking." Kim Hye-jin, a senior researcher at the Korea Gender Innovation Center, noted, "Despite gender-integrated research being a crucial factor in improving research quality, there is a lack of clear indicators reflecting this in domestic research evaluations, necessitating institutional improvements that encourage and evaluate research including gender analysis for the qualitative enhancement of scientific research."
◇Role models for female scientists needed… support for childbirth and childcare must be expanded
With the intertwining of low birth rates, aging, and a preference for medical schools, a personnel shortage in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields has become a reality. Retaining female personnel who leave the research field due to issues such as childbirth and childcare is an urgent issue from the perspective of national competitiveness, regardless of gender. Director Moon Ae-ri emphasized, "The number of women in natural and engineering fields who have interrupted their careers is nearly 180,000, and there is a need for policies to reduce this loss of talent."
Experts advise that measures to expand female personnel must be developed from various angles. Chairperson Kang Yun-cheol pointed out the severe lack of breastfeeding spaces and childcare facilities for graduate students in childcare. He added, "University-level childcare facilities tend to be expensive, making it difficult for students to use them, and most are resolved through informal support from parents, family, or acquaintances. We need to increase financial support and strengthen official support measures such as expanding childcare facilities, so that problems related to childbirth and childcare do not have to be resolved alone."
Jeong Jin-taek, chair of the WISET Policy Advisory Committee and a professor of mechanical engineering at Korea University, emphasized, "It is important to encourage female students to take an interest in and participate in STEM fields. Although there are many female scientists active in the science and technology sector, it is essential to highlight their activities and bring attention to their contributions."