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British Science Week meets International Women's Day 2025
Thursday, 6 March, 2025This year, International Women’s Day falls in British Science Week. To celebrate, Bath Spa University is taking a look at how women have spearheaded the development of one of its most prominent schools: the School of Sciences.
Throughout history, countless women have made names for themselves as pioneers of progress in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); their stories, many starting with university experiences, have inspired future generations of women to pursue their passions.
With origins dating back over 170 years, BSU has a rich history in many fields, including the Sciences. Today, the University offers 15 single honours BSc courses, which span the social, natural and life sciences, while the School’s combined awards offer students the opportunity to study the core components of two different and equally compelling subjects.
BSU’s School of Sciences is also currently the University’s most popular school for undergraduate study in Bath, with well over 1,200 students currently enrolled on its courses; three-quarters of whom identify as female.
The story of science at BSU begins in 1892, when Miss M H Lawrie, a teacher conducting classes in cookery and sewing, created an institution for women wanting to qualify as teachers of what were then known as ‘domestic subjects.’
In 1920 the institution took the name of Training College for Teachers of Domestic Subjects, and, during its early years, students wore a uniform consisting of a bright red blouse, a black full-length skirt, and a white apron, earning them the nickname ‘the Scarlet Runners.’
In this era, women’s scientific pursuits were often constrained to household tasks, however records show the College’s syllabus for Household Science covering topics such as reflection, refraction and polarisation of light, water pressure and hardness, radiation, food digestion, science in cookery, the study of textile fibres at a microscopic level, and rural science linked to food supply.
The progression of BSU’s School of Science has been significant. Over the years, the School has transformed, evolving to cover a wider range of subjects such as Criminology, Biomedical Science, Forensic Science and Forensic Psychology alongside long established strengths in Nutrition, Psychology, Biology and a suite of popular environmental disciplines.
Whilst these subjects are traditionally male-dominated, BSU has flipped the switch, with female academics making up 70% of staff in the Biological Science subjects and multiple female tutors contributing to all courses across the School. Women make up half of its management positions, while also constituting the majority of the specialist technical staff who support student learning.
Discussing how the representation of women in STEM has progressed, Sam Lane, Academic Leader (Marketing and Student Recruitment) in the School of Sciences said:
“When I joined the University in 2006, I was the only female tutor on the Biology BSc course, and there were only two female academics in the subject area, with the other in Nutrition.
“We’ve attracted and employed excellent female staff, working in impactful areas of research and scholarship, often whilst balancing complicated home lives. Some of the processes that facilitate flexible working have helped with that.”
Despite ongoing gender disparity in STEM, Sam describes the progression of diversity and the support available in her field:
“I’ve been on maternity leave twice whilst working at BSU, and although not without its challenges, I have been supported enough in work and at home, to return to continue my career, as have other staff in the School, when in the not too distant past that would have been impossible for many women.
“We even have a number of female students successfully completing their degrees whilst balancing childcare, which is an incredible feat.”
While data show that women in further education in the UK are currently less likely to study STEM subjects than men, women make up the majority of BSU’s School of Sciences, bringing gender diversity to perspectives and approach, not only in academia but in industry and research.
Find out more about what BSU is doing to mark both British Science Week and International Women’s Day on the news section of its website.