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The role of women in science and their historic under-representation in the field are explored in a new short documentary film and book.

The book tells the story of how the University of Edinburgh's female scientists have fought for equality, beginning with street riots in the 1870s. Today, an Edinburgh professor is the first female president of the Royal Society of Chemistry. 

The film celebrates how much has been achieved, but warns that unconscious bias against women still persists, and that more needs to be done to achieve parity. 

The initiative, entitled A Chemical Imbalance, was funded by the Royal Society Rosalind Franklin Prize awarded to Professor Polly Arnold, Crum Brown Chair of Chemistry and Director of Research in chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. 

The project aims to highlight some of the persistent challenges faced by women, and hopes to contribute to the wider debate about how science can progress towards equality. 

Prof Arnold said: "Women have come a very long way to achieving equality with men in science, but to enable more women to reach the top of their profession there is still a need for a culture shift and a move away from unconscious bias." 

The film launches online today and is available to stream for free. A pdf of the book is also available to download. The book was written by Cameron Conant, and the film was made by Siri Rødnes & Marie Lidén.

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