We should strive to make recruiting fair, but not necessarily equal. To enforce equality could lead to discrimination.

There is no biological basis for the [gender gap] (https://www.pnas.org/content/117/9/4609) in science and other STEM fields. Because it's likely to do with cultural norms, it is something we should strive to shift.

• The number of men and women in the world is [roughly equal] (https://countrymeters.info/en/World). And there is [no such thing] (https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28582-scans-prove-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-male-or-female-brain/?utm_source=rakuten&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=2116208:Skimlinks.com&utm_content=10&ranMID=47192&ranEAID=TnL5HPStwNw&ranSiteID=TnL5HPStwNw-xgHP5afubJTWfw.12lIopg) as a distinctly male or female brain.

• Theories like [the E-S (empathising-systemising) model] (https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/are-men-just-better-at-science-than-women-1.3696662), which looks at the differences in men's and women's skillsets, largely defer to environmental factors. Gendered differences, especially cognitive, tend to be the result of an [interaction of biological and cultural factors] (https://www.apa.org/topics/neuropsychology/men-women-cognitive-skills). They're not innate.

• There is a problem if the lack of women in science stems from [culturally originating and upheld norms] (https://edition.cnn.com/2016/10/12/health/female-scientists-engineers-math-gender-gap/index.html). There might be women capable of great scientific discoveries who don't pursue these paths for cultural reasons.

• That being said - more than making men and women equally represented in scientific fields, we should aspire to make pursuing careers in science a gender-neutral ground. There doesn't need to be an exact gender balance, but there shouldn't be gender-based exclusion/discouragement.

Women should be equally represented in science for the benefit of equity, excellence, efficacy, efficiency and objectivity.

• Equity: gender discrimination is a violation of human rights

• Excellence: the under-representation of women threatens scientific progress and achievement

• Efficacy: the aging population means we have to target both genders.

• Efficiency: wasteful to not utilise the skills and intelligence of half of the human population in the scientific workforce.

Additionally, including women in science produces better, more objective science.

• Despite its aim of producing objective knowledge, according to Helen Longino et al, science is not value-free.
• The scientific method was never intended to remove cognitive values, which "are the source of the rules determining what constitutes acceptable scientific practice or scientific method".
• It is commonly regarded that contextual values (personal, political social and cultural values) have no place in objective science.
• However, Longino holds that "in principle, there is no way of guaranteeing the eliminability of such values from science” since the male-dominated scientific community regulates both types of values thus can lead to a male-bias in scientific research.
• In order to eradicate this, she argues in favour of female inclusion and equal representation in science.
• In particular, adopting feminist valuessuch as ontological heterogeneity and diffusion of power can aid in producing objective knowledge, as well as helping to elucidate gender biases that may have otherwise gone unseen.