WiPiSA @ IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics
Eighth IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics – 2023
Abstract: Strategies to encourage young females to pursue Physics in South Africa: Achievements and Challenges
For a developing country such as South Africa, Physics is still seen as a male discipline as the number of females and girls participating in this specific area of study is relatively low. Additionally, the support structure for women and girls is still unsatisfactory given the extremely low number of females retained in the field of physics and its related careers. The Women in Physics in South Africa (WiPiSA), a forum under the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP), has begun several activities in various South African locations, particularly in the most disadvantaged locations, as part of a drive to promote and attract women and girls to careers in physics and fields related to it. Here, we provide a report on the WiPiSA activities conducted during the period (April 2022–April 2023). The pursuit of Physics awareness by WiPiSA includes science-related initiatives such as role modelling, mentorships, Physics departmental lunches, science outreaches, science competitions, webinars and media communications such as articles and radio interviews. These activities as well as the audience reach are discussed in detail. The planned actions moving forward are also covered in detail along with the triumphs and difficulties the activities present.
Link: https://icwip2023.hbcse.tifr.res.in/docs/ICWIP2023_Abstract_II-Country-Papers.pdf
Seventh IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics – 2021
The conference was hosted by Australia/Austria virtually from the 11-16 July 2021 and was well attended. Two executives and two members of WiPiSA attended. WiPiSA presented in the Women in Developing Countries Workshop, and submitted a paper that has been accepted for publication.
Fifth IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics – 2014
Abstract: The journey: Women in Physics in South Africa
The progress from 2005 to now is evident—though it has been a slow and uphill journey. The government’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) has acknowledged the success of Women in Physics in South Africa (WiPiSA) by continuous funding. Women have graduated with physics PhDs, and there are more women professors of physics. The president of the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) is a woman, the second woman to be president of the organization since its founding more than 55 years ago. Some women have become heads of physics departments, with a few becoming top researchers with their own funding. We call this the journey to a brighter future for more women in physics in South Africa.
Fourth IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics – 2011
Abstract: The journey: Women in Physics in South Africa: Progress to 2011
Since the launch of Women in Physics in South Africa in 2005, the number of women in physics has grown. The growth is noted at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with more women attaining qualifications in physics. Most importantly, there has been a significant increase in the number of women who obtain their PhDs in physics. The progress reported in this paper is based on the findings by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the database of the South African Institute of Physics. The two sources show an increase in the number of women who obtained their PhDs in physics compared with their male counterparts.
Third IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics – 2008
Abstract: Baseline study of Women in South Africa with Postgraduate Physics Degrees
A baseline study was conducted of women in South Africa who obtained BSc (Honours), MSc, or PhD degrees in physics and astronomy between 1995 and 2005. The first step involved identifying and contacting the women, using snowball sampling. These women were then asked to complete a questionnaire by e‐mail. Responses to the questionnaire yielded information about the types of schools they attended, attitudes of their teachers, family history of studying science, influences on choosing to study physics, role models and mentors, employment history and aspects of a job that are important to them, experiences of gender bias, and suggestions for improving the situation for women in physics. This information is very valuable in designing programs, projects, and advocacy to encourage and retain women in physics, from school level to senior management. The methodology and questions developed can be useful to participants interested in obtaining similar information for their own countries.
Link: https://pubs.aip.org/aip/acp/article/1119/1/214/911405/Baseline-Study-of-Women-in-South-Africa-with
Second IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics – 2005
Abstract: South African Women in Physics: Are we getting somewhere?
“…All of us must take this on board, that the objectives of the Reconstruction and Development Programme will not have been realized unless we see in visible and practical terms that the condition of the women in our country has radically changed for the better, and that they have been empowered to intervene in all spheres of life as equals with any other member of society.” President Nelson Mandela, State of the Nation Speech, May 24, 1994
Link: https://pubs.aip.org/aip/acp/article/795/1/157/624489/South-African-Women-in-Physics-Are-We-Getting
Abstract: Academic Performance and Interest in Physical Sciences of Female Learners in Mafikeng, South Africa, Municipal Area
There are notably fewer women than men, worldwide, in the physical sciences and engineering. Numbers also decrease markedly with each step up the career ladder, in both the academic and research (industrial and government laboratories) environments. In this study, academic performance of secondary‐school and university females in the mathematical and physical sciences was analyzed. The choice of careers for a group of secondary‐school females was also studied. A positive correlation between the choice of career and academic performance among the secondary‐school females was observed. The correlation was, however, not obvious for the female university students. This study presents possible reasons for poor performance and lack of interest in physics, and suggests ways of attracting and keeping females in the field of physics and its related sciences.
Link: https://pubs.aip.org/aip/acp/article/795/1/227/624311/Academic-Performance-and-Interest-in-Physical
IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics – 2002
Abstract: South Africa: The Rainbow Nation, Women and Physics
“Apartheid.” A word that ruled South Africa since 1961; a word that meant that there was limited opportunity, often none, for non-Whites. It officially ended on April 27, 1994, a momentous day in history that will go down as South Africa’s first democratic election. More importantly, it will go down as the day South Africans took the first steps to restore the balance that had been upset by apartheid. South Africa is presently in the midst of great social restructuring, with South Africans being more open to change. This is the perfect time to highlight the problems of women, and of women in physics, because there is great hope for change. South Africa is unlike most countries in Africa. It has a large developed-world infrastructure merged with all the problems typical of a developing-world country. High rates of poverty, illiteracy (the 1996 census showed that 36% over the age of 20 were illiterate, 55% of whom were women), unemployment, crime, HIV/AIDS, and related issues are South Africa’s major social problems. South Africa needs the economic growth that comes from technological development to pave the road to the future. Since scientific thinking drives technological development, South Africa desperately needs scientifically literate people. However, in a country where the need to survive comes first, scientific literacy is not given much priority. After the 1994 elections, affirmative action policies were implemented across the country, in all walks of life, to give preference to previously disadvantaged or underrepresented group