The effects of an alternative science degree programme on the participation of women in the physical sciences

Three unusual components of an Australian science degree programme were explored to determine the effect they had on the participation of women in the physical sciences. A common first year with entry requirements that do not include prior science knowledge offered students the opportunity to study the physical sciences. The reasons why very few students have taken advantage of that opportunity are discussed. The degree programme contains both voluntary and compulsory science, technology and society (STS) components. The reaction of women to, and their performance in, these components suggests that STS offers some relief from the masculinity of the physical science component and helps in the learning of that component by supplying overviews and applications. The structure of the post‐first‐year offerings permits forays by students into secondary, but still coherent, programmes of study that are not normally available (for example, electronics courses for chemistry or biology students) and which attract above average percentages of women students.