F=1 in 1987

F=2. This odd-looking equation was the subject of FemaleScienceProfessor’s blog earlier this month, where F represents women sitting on a committee picked by a dean or chairperson. When F=2, that committee has not merely one but two women sitting on it. According to this blog post F=2 makes all the difference compared with F=1, which often denotes the 1 woman as the token woman. In science F=1 or even F=2 is still common—not just on committees. My own experiences as a chemistry major at a small liberal arts college were filled with F=1 classes. The concept of needing more women on a committee, in a department, in a classroom—the concept of critical mass—is one often discussed in the Women in Chemistry Oral History project.

A critical mass is defined as a strong minority of 15% to 20%. In places such as chemistry departments attaining this percentage can be difficult. But many believe that reaching it makes all the difference: voices and opinions are more likely to raised and heard; subtle and unintended inequalities are more likely to come to light; and often additional women or other minorities join the committee, department, or classroom when this critical mass is obtained.

F=2 is not a critical mass, but it does make a difference . . . sometimes. When F=2, there is no guarantee that the other woman is friendly or like you in any way. The only similarity may in fact be that you are both women. In some cases this can be worse than F=1. In the Women in Chemistry Oral History project there are many stories of F=2, where the other woman was unfriendly, fiercely competitive, and often vindictive. When F>2, and especially when F reaches a critical mass, many of these issues become lessened.

My own undergraduate experiences with F=1 were not bad experiences. I loved being a chemistry major, and I had wonderful friends who were my study buddies. But F=1 even then can be lonely.

In chronicling the experiences of women who were the first faculty member in their departments, there are many stories of F=1. And whether or not they use the term critical mass, most of them found their situation improved when F>2. Sometimes this network of support is within a committee, sometimes within a department, and sometimes it is something entirely external. Finding how the F=1 women overcame difficult situations is one of the main goals of the Women in Chemistry Oral History project, and I hope their stories can help those who still find themselves in the F=1 situation.

Image courtesy of IUPAC 110th Meeting of Executive Committee, August 1987 (V. A. Koptyug, Y. Joannin, T. F. Woot, A. Buorkman, C. N. R. Rao, Mary L. Good, S. Ito, N. Sheppard). Gift of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), CHF Collections.