EU campaign encouraging women in science backfires

Lipstick. Beakers. Miniskirts. Lab coats.

The European Union’s campaign to encourage young women to pursue careers in science fell flat on its face this week after the commission posted a video showcasing teenage girls dressed in miniskirts, heels and makeup completing math equations while blowing kisses.

The campaign, titled Science: It’s a girl thing – with the “I” in science as a tube of lipstick, has been slammed by critics, with Time magazine calling it “breathtakingly sexist.”

In a one-minute clip, teens are strutting in heels to techno music and with flashes of the periodic table. There are cuts to glass beakers and petri dishes paired with nail polish and brushes dipping into blush. The young women strike poses, one hand on their hips while they complete math equations.

The video, which has left its viewers completely baffled about its message, was pulled from the European Commission’s Research and Innovation website, but can still be seen on YouTube.

The three-year campaign was launched on June 21 in an effort to get more girls aged 13 to 17 interested in science and research.

“Women make up half the EU’s student population and 45 per cent of all doctorates (PhDs), but they account for only one third of career researchers,” the commission says in a statement.

It notes that women are still a minority in engineering and manufacturing sectors.

“This campaign will show women and girls that science does not just mean old men in white coats. Science offers fantastic career opportunities and the chance to make a real difference to our society and our future,” the statement read, calling the campaign a challenge to stereotypes of science.

Perhaps it sheds light on why the commission decided to approach the video the way it did.
In Canada, scholarships and incentives are offered to young women who want to pursue science. 

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