Study Reveals Gender Disparity in Physics Recognition

Abstract

On average, physics students who identify as men perceive themselves more strongly as ‘physics people’ than students who are women. Varying internalization of peer recognition better explains gender differences than biases in received recognition. In physics education, developing a robust physics identity is closely linked to how students perceive peer recognition — specifically, whether they feel acknowledged by their peers as competent in physics. And yet, not all students experience this recognition equally, which is an issue with significant implications for gender equity in physics programmes. Now, writing in Nature Physics, Meagan Sundstrom and Natasha Holmes1 have examined these dynamics by quantitatively analysing the relationship between perceived recognition, where students self-assess if they believe they are seen as a ‘physics person’ by their peers, and received recognition, which is a measure of how many peers identify them as ‘particularly strong’ in physics. Sundstrom and Holmes’ findings suggest that how students internalize peer recognition offers more insight into gender disparities than the actual recognition they receive.