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News Release from: UK Resource Centre for Women in SET
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 15 February 2008
Call for positive roles in the media
Research shows that the media has a vital role to play in attracting women to working in the science and engineering sectors.
New research commissioned by the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (UKRC) has shown that the media has a vital role to play in attracting women to working in the science and engineering sectors Another recent study showed that the media influenced some undergraduates and masters students choosing forensic science as a career and therefore contributed to a substantial increase in courses on the subject
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 28 Sep 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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This has partly been put down to positive portrayals of female scientists in TV dramas such as "Silent Witness".
The UKRC's latest research, carried out by Cardiff University and the Open University, will form the basis of its fourth annual conference on 12th March 2008, chaired by journalist, radio producer and TV presenter, Kirsty Wark.
Annette Williams, Director of the UKRC comments: "Currently, only 18.5% of people working in science, engineering and technology (SET) are female and at this time of heightened skills shortages, experts believe the mass media has a crucial role in either reinforcing, or challenging gender inequalities".
"Since 2004, the UKRC has been working to raise the profile and increase the participation of women in SET".
"Our conference will address the distinct lack of positive role models for women scientists and engineers in the media, which are not only important for attracting young women into the sector, but for retaining women already working in SET".
"It is the responsibility of the media, as a vehicle for social change, to give women an equal voice and paint a positive picture of the opportunities available to them in the sector, whether that is by showing women in popular TV programmes such as "Hollyoaks" and "Eastenders" working in SET or by referring to more female scientists for expert comment on news stories".
Delegates will hear from high profile speakers including former "Tomorrow's World" presenter, Maggie Philbin, and sociologist and author of several books on the mass media, Jenny Kitzinger, about how TV dramas, children's TV, film and newspapers portray women in SET.
There will also be open workshops where delegates can join the debate as well as media training, networking sessions and a creative media exhibition.
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