Science > Physics > Women gain ground in academia; science mentors needed
| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"Sam Wormley" |
| Date: |
01 Aug 2006 03:51:02 PM |
| Object: |
Women gain ground in academia; science mentors needed |
Physics Today: Letters
http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-59/iss-8/p11a.html?type=PTALERT
Letters
Women gain ground in academia; science mentors needed
August 2006, page 11
Many of us in academia may feel discouraged by the persistence of
gender discrimination in science and math after reading Toni Feder's
reports "Why Women Leave Academic Physics" (PHYSICS TODAY, May 2005,
page 32) and "No Leaky Pipeline for Women in Physics, but
Discrimination Persists" (PHYSICS TODAY, April 2005, page 28). However,
professors and students of science around the globe\u2014both male and
female\u2014should be pleased that Susan Hockfield took the helm of
MIT, a world-renowned physical-sciences authority. Working in a
research group supervised by a female leader, I was excited to learn
that two women were promoted to head the University of Toronto's
prestigious faculties of law and medicine.
Although men have historically dominated the upper echelons of
academia, the fact that more and more women are taking on high-powered
positions in top-tier academic institutions not only inspires hope that
the traditionally male-dominated field of science is undergoing a
radical shift toward gender equality, but also suggests that women are
not, as has been suggested by some, less capable than men, either
biologically or psychologically.
Former Harvard University president Lawrence Summers was forced to
resign after stating that the innate genetic differences between men
and women account for the preponderance of men in math- and
science-related careers. While it is undeniable that science is a
male-dominated field and that there are indeed genetic differences
between men and women, the latter does not explain the former. To the
contrary, it has been established that women excel at a variety of
tasks that relate to language and articulation.1 In addition, females
tend to outperform males at fine-motor activities, particularly those
involving rapid, repetitive temporal sequencing,2 making them more
efficient at mastering laboratory skills.
What, then, is holding women back?
Although the answer to that question is highly complex and deeply
rooted in societal expectations, it is important to consider whether an
ideal leader possesses qualities that more closely resemble the
attributes intrinsic to men or to women. The answer, I believe, is that
the ideal leader possesses both. If one believes that a fully
functional family requires equal contributions from a father and a
mother, the same should hold true for larger institutions, from a
university to an entire country.
References
1. 1.R. Joseph, Arch. Sex. Behav. 29, 35 (2000).
2. 2.E. Hampson, D. Kimura, in Behavioral Endocrinology, J. B. Becker et al., eds., MIT Press, Cambridge, MA (1992),
p. 357.
Peter Cheung
(pcheun5@uwo.ca)
University of Western Ontario
London, Canada
If a pipeline is losing most of its product between the source and the
first metering station, that isn't considered a leak? I don't know any
industrial scientist who would even try to sell that idea to the plant
manager. Similarly, the fact that talented, hard-working women with
interests in physics, science, and engineering are leaving the system
between high school and a bachelor's degree really is a problem that
needs to be addressed. As the parent of a female undergraduate physics
student contemplating advanced degrees in this field, I know how
important it is for these high-school students to find science or
engineering mentors who can take students into the labs and involve
them in the excitement of scientific discovery that lies beyond the
grind of getting the tough homework done\u2014and maybe give help and
encouragement with that homework too. My daughter was lucky enough to
find such a mentor, but most students are not.
Gary Stiles
(gkstiles@sbcglobal.net)
Orange, California
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| User: "Smegile" |
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| Title: Re: Women gain ground in academia; science mentors needed |
01 Aug 2006 04:26:34 PM |
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"Sam Wormley" <swormley1@mchsi.com> wrote in message
news:W8Pzg.68090$FQ1.14060@attbi_s71...
Physics Today: Letters
http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-59/iss-8/p11a.html?type=PTALERT
Letters
Women gain ground in academia; science mentors needed
August 2006, page 11
Many of us in academia may feel discouraged by the persistence of
gender discrimination in science and math
that is a lie.
Most women prefer to not work that hard and seek easier professions.
.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Women gain ground in academia; science mentors needed |
02 Aug 2006 04:41:01 AM |
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In article <44cfc72a$0$17984$892e7fe2@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net>,
"Smegile" <invalid@invalid.com> wrote:
"Sam Wormley" <swormley1@mchsi.com> wrote in message
news:W8Pzg.68090$FQ1.14060@attbi_s71...
Physics Today: Letters
http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-59/iss-8/p11a.html?type=PTALERT
Letters
Women gain ground in academia; science mentors needed
August 2006, page 11
Many of us in academia may feel discouraged by the persistence of
gender discrimination in science and math
that is a lie.
Most women prefer to not work that hard and seek easier professions.
<SNORT> Oh, honey. You do not know what hard work is.
/BAH
.
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