Try this simple experiment to visually appreciate the difference between good intentions and reality when it comes to the STEM gender gap.
Open a new browser tab, go to Google Images, and try searching for “Scientist”.
If you’ve done it, right now you’re probably looking at a variety of lab coat-clad people of diverse gender and ethnicity, cheerfully holding test tubes and beakers or staring down a microscope.
Now go back to Google Images, and this time try searching for “Famous scientist”. Gone is the diversity – you’re now probably looking at a gallery of portraits depicting a vast majority (with the notable exception of Marie Curie) of white male scientists, particularly a German one with the iconic scruffy white hair and moustache.
