What We Did to Get Where We Are:

• • The Working Group on Women in Physics was established by IUPAP in 1999 to understand why such a small number of women go into physics as a profession, and to develop strategies for increasing their participation and impact in the field.

  The Conference

  - The Working Group of Women in Physics came up with these steps to help solve the problem:

  • Giving the same opportunities and encouragement to girls as to boys to learn physics. Encouragement of parents and teachers strengthen girls’ self-confidence • Ensuring that female students are given an opportunity for success that equals that of male students.
  • • Promoting equity through policies and practices by establishing and publicizing transparent and fair mechanisms of recruitment and promotion of physicists and for review and approval of requests for funding.
  • • Enabling career success by providing a family friendly environment (child-care facilities, flexible working schedules and employment opportunities for dual career families)
  • • Including women in university and institute governance, particularly on key policy committees and in leadership positions; as well as on national planning and review committees.
  • • Collecting, maintaining and making available statistical data, including gender.
  • • Having scientific societies focus on increasing the number and success of women in physics (making available statistical data, identifying and publicising role models, and appointing women to important committees and editorial boards). (Barbosa)