CAREERS IN SCIENCE AVAILABLE TO WOMEN

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28367, 28 August 1957, Page 9

CAREERS IN SCIENCE AVAILABLE TO WOMEN

“Women are capable of making good chemists and they should be given an opportunity, as individuals, to rise to the heights of the profession. They should be considered for promotion on their merits, and should be penalised in no way because of their sex. It is possible that there will be a shortage of scientists in the next few years, so it is more, desirable than ever to investigate the training of women scientists.” These remarks were made by the president of the New Zealand section of the Royal Institute of Chemistry (Dr. Elsa B. Kidson) in her presidential address, ‘‘Women in Chemistry in New Zealand,” to the annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and the New Zealand section of the Royal Institute of Chemistry. The conference opened in Christchurch yesterday, and will continue until Friday. Dr. Kidson is the first woman chairman of the New Zealand section of the Royal Institute of Chemistry. For the past 26 years she has been seconded from the Soil Bureau in Wellington, where she was a senior chemist, to the Cawthron Institute, Nelson.

“Like many other professions in New Zealand, chemistry has benefited by a leavening of overseas scientists in recent years, bring ing a background of deeper knowledge and experience than this { young country has yet been able < to develop,” Dr. Kidson said. To 1 this group belonged Dr. Rose ’ Stern. Ph.D., of Vienna, who was « for many years a valued member 1 of the Wheat Research Institute and who was now in private practice. Dr. Kidson said. After giving accounts of women l chemists in New Zealand, Dr. : Kidson said she hoped the list : had spoken for itself. “The numbers have been perhaps, surprisingly small. For instance, whereas 486 men' appear in the chem- i istry honours lists up to 1956, there are only 59 women—some 11 per cent, of the total,” Dr. Kidson said. Arts Courses Chosen There was no doubt that in the early days an arts course was considered more suitable for women. In recent years it was surprising to find that the situation had not altered much. There were comparatively few women training for chemistry. Before about 1926, opportunities for women in chemistry were i practically non-existent, except i for limited ones in teaching home i science. Since then, the expan- . sion in both routine work and research in the Department of Agriculture, the establishment of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, rapid indus- ■ trial expansion coupled with a ‘ growing appreciation of the value of chemistry, had combined to - create a much greater demand for 5 chemists, including women - chemists. “That women are at present

making only a very small contribution to the profession in this country is strikingly ghown by the membership list of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and the New Zealand section of the Royal Institute of Chemistry,’ Dr. Kidson said. In the 1954 list of fellows and associates, there were only 75 women out of a total o f 495—some 7 per cent Of these, seven were apparently not working as chemists, leaving 28, of whom 10 were in Government laboratories, seven in the universities, five in the teaching profession, three in industry, and two in research associations and one in private practice. Since then, the situation had not altered much, and the total of women associates and fellows was still M&y 10w—34. There had been slight changes in employment as for example there were more women in industrial chemistry, said Dr. Kidson.