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JAMES

Poor representation of women in science and technology is not only a problem in Hong Kong.
In the United States, the number of women studying computer science has actually gone down since 1991, according to a recent edition of the Harvard Business Review.
A 2012 randomised, double-blind study by researchers at Princeton University gave staff at research-intensive colleges the résumé of a fictitious student randomly assigned a male or female name.
Despite the applicants' statistics being identical, both men and women reviewing the materials rated the male version more highly.
READ MORE: Why women are a rare breed in Hong Kong's burgeoning tech start-up field
A study last year by researchers at Columbia Business School and the Kellogg School of Management found that both men and women were two times as likely to hire a man for a job involving maths.
"People just assume you're not going to be able to cut it," one female statistician told Joan Williams, author of What Works for Women at Work.
Williams' research found that women reported having to prove themselves over and over again - "their successes discounted, their expertise questioned".
Others reported feeling pressured to adopt a traditionally feminine role in the workplace, with Asian Americans in particular (40.9 per cent) more likely than other groups of women to experience this.
Women of colour suffered from added racial discrimination, with almost half of black women (48 per cent) and Latinos (47 per cent) reporting having been mistaken for administrative or custodial staff.
"It's so tempting to attribute the paucity of women in STEM to pipeline problems or personal choices," wrote Williams in the Review.
"But it's time to listen to women scientists: they think the issue's gender bias, and an increasing amount of research supports that view," Williams wrote.


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Focus

Gender bias in science and tech is an issue not confined to Hong Kong

The number of women studying computer science in the US has gone down since 1991, even as the tech industry has boomed. Photo: MCT

Michelle Sun is the founder of First Code Academy. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Why women are a rare breed in Hong Kong's burgeoning tech start-up field

First Code Academy founder Michelle Sun believes girls should start young in science and tech. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Michelle Sun's First Code Academy was originally intended for just girls, but proved so popular with parents it began accepting boys as well. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Karen Farzam and Michelle Sun started Women Who Code 18 months ago to form a community for female coders in Hong Kong. Photo: Bruce Yan

Karena Belin co-founded W Hub with Karen Farzam as a way to help improve the diversity of start-ups in Hong Kong. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Noel Ho Ka-miu said many Hongkongers still feel pressure to join the city's two traditional industries, banking and property. Photo: Bobby Yip