I am a scientist working at a large pharmaceutical company in research and development. I don't work in academia, but I can tell you that not only are there not an equal number of women working in corporate science jobs, but they are also notably absent from higher level management positions. Women are still very much in the minority in science fields. In my university graduate school program, I was one of only TWO women accepted. Further, in the department that I currently work in, women make up about 30% of the work force and don't occupy a single management or supervisory position.
Do I think that journalists are "scaring" women away with articles using shady numbers from disreputable studies? Absolutely not. Fewer women are entering hard sciences, fewer women still are being hired into positions, and even fewer make it to executive positions. We still have a long way to go.
