Working Group on Women in Physics
An IUPAP working group that studies the status of women in physics and develops measures to improve gender equality in the discipline.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Working Group on Women in Physics is an international initiative of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), established by resolution of the union’s General Assembly in Atlanta in 1999. It was created to examine the position of women in physics internationally and to advise IUPAP’s Council and liaison committees on ways to improve their participation, opportunities, and professional circumstances. Rather than operating as a commercial brand, the group functions as a policy, research, and coordination body within the international physics community. Its work has centered on gathering comparable information about women’s experiences in physics, identifying structural barriers, encouraging national and regional action, and creating forums in which physicists and scientific organizations can exchange evidence and practices. The group’s mandate combines two principal responsibilities: surveying the current situation of women in physics and proposing practical means of improving it. A major part of its activity has been a series of international conferences. Between 2002 and 2017, it organized six conferences in Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Seoul, Stellenbosch, Waterloo, and Birmingham. These meetings brought together national and regional teams from more than 60 countries. The teams collected information about the circumstances of women in physics in their respective locations, creating an international basis for discussion of participation, career progression, institutional culture, and related issues. The Working Group also promoted and collaborated on a global survey of physicists conducted by the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics. This research-oriented approach extended the group’s work beyond conferences and anecdotal testimony by supporting broader collection and comparison of data. The group was subsequently involved in developing a new survey intended to cover additional natural sciences and mathematics through the Gender Gap in Science Project, an initiative funded by the International Council for Science, formerly known as ICSU. Its significance lies in connecting international scientific governance with evidence-based discussion of gender equity. The group does not sell products or services in the conventional commercial sense; its principal outputs are surveys, conference activities, reports, recommendations, and networks for cooperation. The available reference material does not identify a separate headquarters, website, commercial owner, financial structure, or current officeholders. Its institutional identity is tied to IUPAP and to the wider international effort to understand and reduce gender disparities in science.
History
The Working Group on Women in Physics was formed within the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics after a resolution of IUPAP’s General Assembly in Atlanta in 1999. Its creation reflected an institutional decision to address the participation and status of women in physics through international evidence gathering and policy discussion. The group’s formal mandate was to survey the present situation and report its findings to the IUPAP Council and liaison committees, while also suggesting ways to improve conditions for women in physics. This gave it both an analytical and advisory role. It was not established as a commercial organization, but as a mechanism through which the international physics community could examine gender disparities and coordinate possible responses. To advance that mandate, the group organized a sequence of six International Conferences on Women in Physics. The first took place in Paris in 2002, followed by meetings in Rio de Janeiro in 2005, Seoul in 2008, Stellenbosch in 2011, Waterloo in 2014, and Birmingham in 2017. The conferences assembled teams from more than 60 countries. Participants collected and discussed information about local circumstances, helping build an international picture of women’s representation and experiences in physics. The group also supported large-scale quantitative research. It promoted and collaborated with a global survey of physicists carried out by the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics. This work complemented the country and regional information developed through the conferences. The available account further records the group’s involvement in preparing a subsequent survey that would include additional natural sciences and mathematics as part of the Gender Gap in Science Project, funded by the International Council for Science, then known as ICSU. Across these activities, the group’s historical role has been to connect international scientific organizations, national teams, researchers, and policymakers. Its principal methods have been conferences, surveys, reporting, and recommendations rather than direct service delivery. The supplied sources do not provide a complete institutional chronology, a list of officeholders, a separate headquarters, or a current standalone website. The group remains institutionally associated with IUPAP.
- 2017
International conference in Birmingham
[1]The sixth conference in the documented series took place in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
- 2014
International conference in Waterloo
[1]The fifth conference was held in Waterloo, Canada.
- 2011
International conference in Stellenbosch
[1]The fourth conference took place in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
- 2008
International conference in Seoul
[1]The third conference was held in Seoul, South Korea.
- 2005
International conference in Rio de Janeiro
[1]The second conference in the series took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- 2002
First international conference in Paris
[1]The working group convened its first International Conference on Women in Physics in Paris, France.
- 1999
IUPAP approves formation of the working group
[1]The IUPAP General Assembly in Atlanta established the Working Group on Women in Physics through a formal resolution.
Products and positioning
An international scientific-policy working group focused on research, coordination, and advocacy concerning women’s participation and advancement in physics.
Marketing campaigns
- 2017International Conference on Women in Physics
United Kingdom · International
The sixth documented conference took place in Birmingham and brought the series through 2017.
- 2014International Conference on Women in Physics
Canada · International
The fifth conference was held in Waterloo, continuing the working group’s international meeting series.
- 2011International Conference on Women in Physics
South Africa · International
The fourth conference was organized in Stellenbosch and contributed to the group’s cross-country examination of women’s participation in physics.
- 2008International Conference on Women in Physics
South Korea · International
The third conference took place in Seoul as part of the group’s continuing international program.
- 2005International Conference on Women in Physics
Brazil · International
The second conference was held in Rio de Janeiro and continued the group’s collection and comparison of national information.
- 2002International Conference on Women in Physics
France · International
The first conference in the group’s international series created a forum for national teams and other participants to examine women’s situation in physics.
Outcome. It initiated a recurring international conference program that later expanded across multiple regions.
Brand decisions
1999
Adopt an international evidence-and-policy mandateStrategyBackground
IUPAP created the group to investigate the status of women in physics and advise its governing and liaison bodies.
Action taken
The group was assigned responsibility for international surveys, reporting, and recommendations aimed at improving conditions for women in physics.
Aftermath
Its mandate led to a multinational conference series and collaboration on global survey research.
- Broaden gender-gap research beyond physicsStrategy
Background
The group’s later survey work was situated within the Gender Gap in Science Project, whose scope included other natural sciences and mathematics.
Action taken
It became involved in developing a new survey with a broader disciplinary remit.
Aftermath
The initiative connected the group’s physics-focused work with wider international research on gender in science.
Recent events
- 2002
First International Conference on Women in Physics held in Paris[1]
Other
The working group began its international conference series in Paris, bringing together participants to discuss national evidence and conditions affecting women in physics.
- 1999
Working Group established by IUPAP General Assembly resolution[1]
Other
IUPAP’s General Assembly in Atlanta approved the formation of the Working Group on Women in Physics, giving it a mandate to assess the situation of women in physics and recommend improvements.
Global survey collaboration with the American Institute of Physics[1]
Other
The group promoted and collaborated with a worldwide survey of physicists conducted by the Statistical Research Center of the American Institute of Physics.
Participation in the Gender Gap in Science Project[1]
Other
The group was involved in developing a new survey extending the scope of gender-gap research from physics to other natural sciences and mathematics under an International Council for Science-funded project.
Sources1 sources
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