Women scientists almost entirely omitted from exam boards’ compulsory learning material for UK schools

Women scientists almost entirely omitted from exam boards’ compulsory learning material for UK schools Stephen Bevan Thu, 10/22/2026 - 07:04 The study, which analysed the UK’s six main exam boards’ specifications across science subjects, found that out of 86 scientists mentioned at Key Stage 4 (KS4), which covers GCSE and equivalent, just one was a woman – Rosalind Franklin. And even then, Franklin – whose work on X-ray crystallography led to the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA – featured in only one specification. The researchers – who looked at specifications for biology, chem