According to statistics from the China Association for Science and Technology, the total number of female technology workers is expected to exceed 45 million in 2023, an 80% increase from 2011, accounting for over 40% of the national workforce in science and technology.
Despite the significant increase in the number of female technology workers in recent years, biases against women in the tech industry still persist, leading some female tech workers to doubt their own work and abilities.
Wang Zhizhen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a researcher at the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been working in scientific research for 60 years. She firmly believes, "Anything men can do, women can do too!"
On April 27, Wang Zhizhen shared her insights and experiences as a female technology worker at the Global Forum for Women in Technology and Innovation, aiming to help unleash the "She Power" of technological innovation.
Wang Zhizhen, a photo provided by Zhongguancun Forum
Growing into an Outstanding Female Scientist
In Wang Zhizhen's childhood, she saw many female pilots, female train drivers, female scientists, female doctors, and female geological survey team members nurtured by New China, which subtly planted the seeds of self-reliance and self-improvement in her heart.
After graduating from the Department of Biophysics at the University of Science and Technology of China, Wang Zhizhen became a scientific worker and caught the wave of "spring of science," traveling to Germany, the United States, and Canada as a visiting scholar to study and work.
Wang Zhizhen recalled, "Working in foreign laboratories with researchers from around the world, discussing science, exchanging cultures, and exploring life, I learned a lot of cutting-edge scientific knowledge and advanced experimental techniques that I had never seen or heard before, especially the logical thinking in scientific research, which inspired me a lot for my work after returning to China."
During her time at the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wang Zhizhen was fortunate to conduct research under the guidance of senior scientists like Zou Chenglu. She learned a valuable lesson from them - scientists need innovative thinking, intelligent experimental design, rigorous logical thinking, and relentless pursuit driven by passion.
In the rudimentary laboratory at that time, Wang Zhizhen pioneered a new direction in the research of folding enzymes and molecular chaperones, advancing the pace of life science research in China and growing into an outstanding female scientist herself.
Equal Treatment Under Equal Conditions
Today, Wang Zhizhen hopes to inspire more young women to engage in scientific research through her own experiences.
According to a research report from UNESCO, the goal of increasing girls' enrollment rates has been largely achieved after 50 years of effort. Moreover, in higher education, the number of female university students in many countries slightly exceeds that of male students.
Wang Zhizhen pointed out that globally, the loss of female students in science education does not occur during childhood or adolescence but begins at the graduate level.
Research from the International Labour Organization indicates that progress in gender equality in education does not necessarily lead to a natural reduction in gender differentiation in industries and employment. This means that achieving gender equality relies not only on education but also on addressing the influence of cultural and social biases.
In 2021, the All-China Women's Federation, Ministry of Science and Technology, and others formulated the "Opinions on Implementing the Women in Science and Technology Innovation Action," promoting the establishment of women's science and technology associations in all 31 provinces and cities nationwide, providing heartwarming services such as health care, elderly care, and childcare to create a fertility-friendly working environment for female science and technology workers.
Wang Zhizhen said, "As women, we don't need special treatment; we need to be treated equally under equal conditions."
In recent years, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology have implemented measures such as "women first" under equal conditions, allowing project extensions for women during pregnancy and lactation, and increasing the participation of female experts in evaluations. Particularly, relaxing the age restrictions for female researchers to apply for projects like the Young Scientists Fund, the Excellent Young Scientists Fund, and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars has provided strong support for more young female scientists to obtain funding and conduct basic research, especially in nurturing more female leaders in science and technology.
These measures have been welcomed by many female science and technology workers, and the actual effects of policy implementation are gradually becoming evident.
Supporting the "Half of the Sky" in Scientific Research
Research shows that there is no physiological difference in intelligence between women and men. Women have advantages in meticulousness, patience, and resilience. They set higher standards for themselves, are more disciplined, pursue perfection, and can therefore produce work as good as men.
In Wang Zhizhen's laboratory, there is always about half of female students, a proportion that is generally the same in laboratories studying life sciences at the graduate level.
"How to arrange and balance family and work reasonably and scientifically?" Faced with this question, Wang Zhizhen believes that the other half of the family should equally share the responsibilities, and it should never be solely the responsibility of women.
"Women manage the household, men work outside," "It's better to marry well than to do well"... Wang Zhizhen hopes that female science and technology workers will not be constrained by outdated traditional thinking and should not fall into the abyss of losing dignity. Instead, they should become modern women with independent personalities, independent spirits, and independent status, pursuing their passions, interests, and ideals with a sunny attitude, robust physique, and scientific lifestyle, while receiving warm support from every member of the family.
Doing scientific research requires an exploratory spirit to discover things unknown to predecessors. When faced with opinions contrary to authoritative or mainstream views, dare to respect science, pursue truth, and persist in rationality.
Today, more and more outstanding female scientists are active in various fields of science and technology, supporting the "half of the sky" in scientific research.
Wang Zhizhen believes that female science and technology workers and female students now have broader development prospects, clearer goals for struggle, and should and can make new contributions to the country's development in the new era.
