Panel discussion "Nurture or Nature"
Time: Friday, 17:15-18:15, Place: Großer Hörsaal Physik
Language: Englisch
The phenomenon is well-known, has been discussed repeatedly and yet the reasons are still unknown. What could be the reason that the percentage of women decreases the more the academic degree increases? Why is the quota of female physics students so low in Germany?
Are women just not interested in physics, are they less talented when it comes to technology or do they just not want academic successes? Can we really answer these questions with “Nature”?
Nature or rather nurture? Does our society create female and male role models that influence our choice of study and career? How and why do these role models arise? It is worth to have a look at other European countries. Some of them have a considerably higher share of women among physics students and professors.We invite you to an interesting panel discussion with four successful scientists:
- Prof. Giovanna Morigi, theoretical physicist from Italy, Univ. Saarbrücken- Dr. Pauline Gagnon, high-energy physicist from Canada, Indiana University
- Dr. Petra Lucht, physicist with a doctor’s degree in sociology, Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, TU Berlin
- Dr. Bärbel Thielicke, engineer, Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, Freiburg, equal opportunity commissioner of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
We invited Ms. Simone Ariane Pflaum to chair the discussion. She is a political scientist (M.A.) and works as a consultant for the chairwoman of the parliamentary group “Bündnis 90 Die Grünen” in the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg. For three years she has been working voluntarily in the city council and takes part in a worldwide exchange with young municipal leaders within the framework of the FutureCityLeaders Initiative.