(Paper submitted to The Physicist)

1. Introduction

The gender ratio of women to men doing Physics in Australia is quite disappointing. In one recent survey it was reported that the proportion of females doing year 12 Physics in Australian high schools has shown little variation over the past decade, the average being approximately 29%. In addition to this, the percentage of females that have withdrawn from year 12 high school Physics has increased in the last decade from 69.8% to 78.5% [1]. The same survey reported that at the end of the last decade the proportion of girls doing year 12 high school chemistry in Australia was as high as 48.8%, in comparison to 29% for physics [1]. These statistics highlight the need for a concentrated effort to ensure that the participation rates of women in Physics are comparable to other science disciplines.

The ratio of women to men at tertiary level is even lower than that in high school physics. Additionally, in the last three years the participation rate of Australian university students doing Physics has declined [2]. Having said this, the female participation rate in third year physics in Australian universities has increased from 15% in 1991 to 22% over the past three years (1996 to 1999) [2]. The proportion of females undertaking fourth year (including honours, diploma and masters preliminary students) in Australian universities has increased from 16% in 1991 to 25% in 1999 which correlates with the gender balance situation at third year. Furthermore, the proportion of females undertaking higher degree studies in physics continues to increase steadily from 12% in 1991 to 19% in 1999 [2]. One of the reasons for this steady increase has been the restructuring of Physics courses at universities to provide new courses that are flexible and attractive to both male and female students [2]. These sorts of statistics are pleasing and the initiatives that result in these trends should be encouraged. It should be noted that the profiles of students are changing and such initiatives benefit both male and female students. The critical issue is that despite the increase in student enrolments in universities [2], the overall trend of Physics enrolments at Australian Universities is on the decline. Unfortunately, Physics has not been able to promote itself well enough to attract the attention of students. In addition there is a perceived lack of career paths and relatively poor pay for relatively difficult work. Scientist's pay scales have dropped relative to other professions. Students who might have considered Physics in the past are choosing professions that offer better security, pay and prestige.

There is a real need to promote physics as an enabling discipline providing fundamental advances on which science and technology thrives. It is also necessary to take initiatives to promote physics to both men and women. We need to balance the ratio statistics of women to men in Physics, by attracting more women into the discipline rather than disadvantaging men. Furthermore, there is a shortage of qualified physics teachers in senior high schools. This is expected to get worse as the current physics teachers are retiring. One step that has been taken in an effort to promote Physics and women in physics was to establish a Women in Physics (WiP) Group.

2. The Australian Women in Physics Group

Dr Ann Roberts, from the University of Melbourne, attended the Australian Institute of Physics (AIP) Council Meeting in February 1994 reporting on the possibility of the formation of a National WiP group and the activities of the WiP group from South Australia (WiP SA). In March 1994, Dr Roberts provided feedback from the Council Meeting to a meeting of WiP SA, in Adelaide. In this meeting she outlined the plans for a WiP session at the forthcoming AIP Congress and for the formation of a national WiP group. She went on to convene the WiP session at the Brisbane Congress in which WiP was founded. The Australian Women In Physics was formally founded on July 7, 1994, during the 11^th AIP Congress held at Griffith University, Brisbane. The office bearers elected at the first General Meeting of the group were Dr Cathy Foley the Chair, Dr Anne-Marie Grisogono the Vice-Chair, Dr Ann Roberts the Honorary Secretary-Treasurer and Ms Moira Welch, Dr Liesl Folks and Ms Heather Symons the Committee Members. The terms of reference, see below, were discussed at this meeting. At the September 1994 meeting of the AIP Executive, the terms the reference of WiP were unanimously approved and the Australian WiP was launched.

During the time of the formation of WiP , Prof R. W. Crompton, who was keen to promote Women in Physics, was National AIP President. Prof Crompton supported the idea of inviting Prof Bunny Clark the chair of the American Physical Society's Committee on the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP) to the Brisbane Congress as a Women in Physics Lecturer. She was an Invited Speaker at the Women in Physics "Specialist Session" and gave a series of talks on Women in Physics at different institutions.

A General Meeting, in which Dr Judith Pollard was elected Chair, was held on July 5, 1996 during the 12^th AIP Congress held at the University of Tasmania, Hobart. The remaining committee members did not change. During a Biennial General Meeting held on 12 December 2000, at the University of Adelaide, Dr Suzanne Hogg was elected Chair, Dr Deb Kane the Vice-Chair, Dr Manjula Sharma the Honorary Secretary-Treasurer and Drs Anna Binnie, Elizabeth Chelkowska, Christine Creagh, Judith Pollard, Ann Roberts and Margaret Wegener the committee members.

The terms of reference of the Australian Women In Physics are

1. To facilitate contact between, and provide support for, women in physics

2. To raise the profile of women in physics among the physics community and the general public.

3. To encourage the implementation of gender inclusive teaching strategies at all levels of education.

4. To have an input into policies that affect the physics community.

Membership is open to all members of the Australian Institute of Physics who may elect to be members of WiP when subscriptions are renewed. There are no membership fees.

3. Activities of the Australian Women in Physics Group

The WiP group coordinates the "Australian Institute of Physics, Women in Physics Lecture Tour" which was inaugurated in 1997 and has become an annual event. Plans for the Women in Physics Lecture Tour were discussed at the 1996 Biennial Meeting of WiP during which it was decided that the inaugural speaker be Australian. The Lecture Tour has become a tradition of the Australian Women in Physics group with a national and an international speaker in alternate years. The travel to and from Australia of the international speaker is funded by the AIP executive, while the local travel, accommodation and incidentals are funded by the state branches of AIP. Each state branch of AIP has a WiP representative who coordinates and hosts the speaker in their state. Some states have active WiP branches that undertake this role. The overall coordination and management of this process is carried out by the Lecture Tour Coordinator, in consultation with the WiP executive. Dr Judith Pollard coordinated the Women in Physics Lecture Tour from 1997 to 2000, Dr Pina Dall`armi-Stoks in 2001 and the current coordinator is Dr Marion Stevens-Kalceff .

The main purpose of the Lecture Tour is to recognize women physicists and the contribution that they have made to the science. It also aims to increase public awareness of Physics and to promote women in physics. The successful nominee is selected based on her research and its contribution to Physics, and her ability to speak to the wider community, especially high school students. During the tour the Women in Physics Lecturer delivers a public lecture related to her area of research in each state capital city across Australia. Attendance at the lecture is open to the general public, high school and university students. The lecture tour now has been running for five years and we have seen some excellent women physicists, both national and international.

WiP has affiliations with other Science Professional agencies such as the Women in Science Enquiry Network (WISENET). The current executive is focussing on procedures for selection of plenary and invited speakers at the Congress with the view to establishing a mechanism for appropriate female representation. In addition a Young Australian: Women in Physics Programme, YAwipP, will be launched in 2002 as a curtain raiser to the Lecture Tour.

4. The South Australian Women In Physics Group

Women in Physics groups are or have been active in several states. The South Australian Women in Physics Group, WiP SA, is an example of a dynamic and active branch of WiP. The WiP SA Group was formed in Adelaide, South Australia (SA) in February 1992. Currently it has up to sixty (60) women on its mailing list, which also includes women from the Northern Territory (NT). Its members include women physics students, postgraduates, teachers and scientists in universities, government and industry. The SA WiP group has regular support group and social/dinner meetings. Presentations by special guests or members are also part of the meetings. It has been an active group since its establishment and has taken the lead in implementing some major initiatives. Some of those initiatives include:

a) Promoting Women in Physics and the South Australian Group through publications.

b) Organizing Year 10 girls Physics Workshops in 1992 and 1993.

c) Visiting High Schools

d) Establishment of the Clare Corani Memorial Prizes for the top second year female Physics student from each of the three South Australian Universities. The awardees are nominated by their respective Physics Departments and the presentation of the awards is made during the Women in Physics Lecture in Adelaide.

5. Conclusions

The Women in Physics group has been formed in an effort to promote Physics and increase the representation of females in Physics. Initiatives that such a group can undertake ranges from an annual Australia wide Lecture Tour to year 10 girls Physics workshops. A WiP group definitely has a leading role to play in promoting Physics and achieving a balance of genders in the Physics discipline. However, it does need more support from governments and technology industries. Governments and technology industries working with and supporting Physics professional groups, like the WiP group, can put strategies and programs in place in an effort to address the critical issues that are preventing students been attracted to Physics.

One strategy is to establish a program(s) to ensure that secondary schools and universities attract qualified physics teachers and academics. In addition, programs should also be in place to ensure that the educators and students, especially females, at these learning institutions are supported, encouraged, made to feel confident and enthusiastic about doing Physics.

Another strategy is to determine the long-term skills and knowledge requirements of Australia<92>s technology industries and then put in place programs, especially in universities, to educate students to meet these requirements. This is not a new concept in Australian Universities. But it is critical that this concept is enhanced and is supported long-term to cope with the advancements of science, especially Physics research and development. By recognising and understanding some of the fundamental reasons behind the problem we are in a better position to address them. Then by having long term strategic planning and programs in place in an effort to address these problems we are then able to promote Physics more effectively and attract more students into the Physics discipline, both male and female.

Attracting females to do physics benefits not only women in physics but also the whole Physics community. As a consequence we will see that physics is and stays a thriving science, which is crucial in creating the technologically literate society that will be demanded in the future. Our ultimate aim is to see a thriving physics community with gender ratios comparable to other professions, and a general public, which is better educated about the role of physics in society and in the world.

6.References

[1] " "The Physicist" Volume 38 Number 4 July/August 2001 "Physics Enrolments in Australian Secondary Schools at the end of the 20^th Century" J. R. De Laeter and J. Dekkers.

[2] "The Physicist" Volume 37, Number 1 January/February 2000 " Physics Enrolments in Australian and New Zealand Universities 1994-1999" J. R. De Laeter and G. Putt.

[3] "The Australian and New Zealand Physicist" June 1994 " Why The Need For a Women In Physics Group?" P. Dall<92>Armi and A. Ralston.