Only one female scientist named in GCSEs, research finds

New research has revealed that Rosalind Franklin stands as the sole female scientist explicitly named within GCSE and National 5 science exam specifications across the UK. The study, conducted by scholars at the University of Cambridge, identified 86 scientists mentioned by various UK exam boards, with Franklin—the English chemist notable for her essential contributions to uncovering DNA’s structure in the 1950s—being the only woman included.

Exam specifications outline the core knowledge and skills that students are expected to acquire by the end of their courses, along with the methods for assessing this learning. The research encompassed six major UK exam boards: AQA, Cambridge OCR, Pearson Edexcel, WJEC, CCEA, and Qualifications Scotland. At Key Stage 4 and its equivalents, such as GCSEs and Scotland’s National 5s, Franklin alone represented female scientists among the 86 names listed. At the higher Key Stage 5 level, including A-levels, AS-levels, and Scottish highers, she was one of just three women featured out of 181 scientists mentioned.

Beyond Franklin, two other women appeared in specific contexts: Marie Tharp, an American cartographer renowned for creating the first map of the Atlantic Ocean floor in the 1950s, and Inge Lehmann, a Danish seismologist who discovered the Earth’s inner core in the 1930s. Both are included in Cambridge OCR’s A-level Geology syllabus. Franklin is most widely recognized for Photograph 51, a crucial X-ray image of DNA that aided Francis Crick and James Watson in deducing its double-helix structure the following year. While Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins were awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize for the DNA discovery, Franklin had passed away four years beforehand.

The authors of the research highlighted a pattern of underrepresentation, noting that numerous groundbreaking scientific achievements by women receive little or no mention within exam materials. They explained that many significant discoveries date back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, eras predominantly dominated by men in science and mathematics, which the current specifications still largely reflect. The study advocates for integrating figures such as Franklin universally in lessons on DNA structure and also suggests including notable scientists like Marie Curie and Lise Meitner, who made pivotal discoveries in radioactivity and nuclear fission respectively. Stephanie Buttigieg, one of the paper’s authors, emphasized that “relatable role models can help keep more girls in STEM by strengthening their sense of belonging in science and fostering positive attitudes towards scientific careers.”

In response to the findings, representatives from the exam boards acknowledged the urgent need to improve female representation within science qualifications. The Joint Council for Qualifications indicated that addressing this imbalance would be a focus during forthcoming reforms. Similarly, Qualifications Scotland pointed to ongoing curriculum improvement initiatives as opportunities to enhance gender representation. Government bodies in England and Scotland expressed commitments to ensuring girls see the impact of women in STEM fields and pledged to carefully consider the research to help close the gender gap in science education

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