In this paper, I take a sociological approach to understanding the under-representation of gender
and physics. I argue that gender is something we do not something that we are. Thus, every aspect of
our behaviour, including our engagement (or not) with physics becomes part of our performance of
gender. I then use a brief historical analysis and an example from popular culture to show how
physics is culturally aligned with masculinity. The impact is that the subject feels more ‘natural’
for men than for women. I end with some of the implications of this for those who want to make
physics more accessible to girls and women. (EDITORS NOTE: This paper was given at the Improving
Gender Balance (IGB) conference in Cambridge, UK, in March 2015, organised by the Institute of
Physics. This conference was for schools and their supporters who were part of the IGB strand of the
Stimulating Physics Network, funded by the Department for Education. It aimed to summarise some of
the s…