Call for diversity in science

GREATER diversity and more equality in science must urgently be addressed, while more needs to be done to make the field accessible for different groups of people.

These and other issues pertaining to the manner in which science should change to encourage and embrace equality were laid bare during a pre-launch symposium to the National Science Week (NSW), which kicks off next week.

Speaking at the Diversity and Inclusion in Science symposium held at Nelson Mandela University’s south campus, director of the department of transformation, monitoring and evaluation Dr RubyAnn Levendal said the lack of representation of female and historically marginalised individuals in the science workforce continued to be a challenge.

“There is a strong prevalence of gendered-science stereotypes, with Stem [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] disciplines being associated with men more than women. This phenomenon is not specific to South Africa, but is prevalent globally and fuelled by patriarchy and the sociocultural factors communicated via mass media and those who play a role in our socialisation – our families, teachers [and] peers,” she said.

Diversity enhanced academia where research was not conducted in isolation but rather in a team which allowed exposure to people with different views, in turn offering opportunities to develop scientific knowledge further, Levendal said.

“The diversity of the team is an important element since each member brings with them their own identity, skills, insights and perspectives.”

Diversity of a team of scientists is “not distinct from enhancing the overall quality of the research generated by that team – it is integral to achieving it”, she said.

Equality and accessibility continued to be concerns, with a report by the Council for Higher Education showing that African students were still lagging when it came to finishing their degrees, Levendal said.