Why Are There So Few Women in Physics? Reflections on the Experiences of Two Women

Some of the reasons for the underrepresentation of women in physics are evident in the reflections of two undergraduate women. Leia is a chemistry major who loves college-level physical chemistry and quantum mechanics but does not identify with the discipline of physics, partly because she has low self-efficacy as a physicist and has received very little recognition for her work and learning in physics. Paulette is a physics major who loves physics but feels isolated by the current physics learning environment. She reluctantly dropped an honors introductory lab after being snubbed by her male classmates, who partnered with one another, leaving her to work alone. Paulette's experiences with condescending male professors activated a stereotype threat about who can succeed in physics that caused her to disengage in class. In addition to these things, in this paper we discuss what these women felt has helped them so far and explore their suggestions for what would help women in physics courses as they pursue their quest for a physical science degree.