Chapter 11: Crossing the Boundaries, Entering the Territory of Science: Women and Physics

Despite a consistent presence of women in the professional workplace in the western countries, there is still underrepresentation of women in some working sectors historically considered male, and a lack of women at the top levels of all professions. These phenomena, present in several European nations, though with slight variations, are particularly evident in scientific careers (European Commission, 2003, 2006).

In sociological and demographic studies (Anker, 1997; Blackburn, Browne, Brooks, & Jarman, 2002), two terms are used in this context: “horizontal” gender segregation, to allude to a lesser presence of women in some disciplines, and “vertical” gender segregation to indicate the small number of women at the top of work organizations. The metaphor of the glass ceiling is frequently used to further illustrate the latter² (Baxter & Wright, 2000; European Commission, 2006; Morrison, White, & Van Velsor, 1987).