Why There Are No Women in Science
Thus Spake Zuska
Category archives for Why There Are No Women in Science
The Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia
Posted by Zuska on May 22, 2009 Question: Did you know that there are National Historic Chemical Landmarks? Answer: Yes, there are. Question: What did the American Chemical Society declare to be its first National Historic Chemical Landmark, and where can you find it? Answer: “Old Faithful”, a Bakelizer or steam pressure vessel, vintage 1909. Phenol and formaldehyde were hardened at 150…
Please Don’t Disturb My Complacency!
Posted by Zuska on April 27, 2009 Sooooo….it appears some of you take your comics quite seriously. At least, should one be so foolish as to point out painfully obvious, boringly everyday occurrences of sexism. Danimal asks of Comrade Physioprof: “So you are saying the comic reflects real life?” What Physioprof said is this: “Every single one of the Foxtrots themselves represents…
The Gender Smog We Breathe: Comics Contribution
Posted by Zuska on April 21, 2009 I love the comic pages in the newspaper. Some of them are just mildly amusing, but some are bitingly funny and offer real social satire (Pearls Before Swine comes to mind here, as does Non Sequitur). But I was definitely not amused this past weekend when I read the April 19 strip of Foxtrot. In…
Author of “Motherhood, the Elephant in the Laboratory” Responds to Nature Review
Posted by Zuska on March 30, 2009 A few days ago I wrote about The Problem of the Problem of Motherhood in Science, a post inspired by Meg Urry’s book review of Motherhood, the Elephant in the Laboratory by Emily Monosson. A vigorous discussion ensued in the comments – thank you all for participating! It turns out the author of the book…
Why Can’t Women Do Anything Great?
Posted by Zuska on March 24, 2009 Yeah, I should be asleep, restoring strength for spending another day with mom. But I’m catching up on email and blogs and preparing for the upcoming Diversity in Science Carnival WHICH YOU SHOULD TOTALLY BE WRITING SOMETHING FOR – GET BUSY, NOW! And in the course of all that I read this post by Stephanie…
The Problem of the Problem of Motherhood in Science
Posted by Zuska on March 21, 2009 Over at Fairer Science, at the end of an excellent rant about the uselessness of one-shot workshops, Pat Campbell writes: One other thing, if I see one more article about why there aren’t more women in science that concludes “it’s the children” I am going to run amuck. This one says “Women don’t choose careers…
The Proper Way To Be A Woman In Science
Posted by Zuska on November 14, 2008 Though university administrators seem to be widely reviled among faculty members, one of the best jobs I ever had was in administration. Many wonderful opportunities came my way; possibly the most mind-stretching, exhilarating, and rewarding of these was the chance to spend four weeks attending the Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education Administration, held…
Women Paid Poorly, Men Behaving Badly – What Else Is New?
Posted by Zuska on November 7, 2008 According to the Chronicle Newsblog Female professors at the University of Texas at Austin earned an average of $9,028 less than their male counterparts in 2007, and senior female faculty members there feel more isolated and less recognized for their work than do their male colleagues. You can find the full report here and a…
What’s Wrong With These Scholarships?
Posted by Zuska on October 14, 2008 Janet at Adventures in Ethics and Science writes about prizes for women: 2008 is the tenth year of the L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science awards to remarkable female scientists from around the world. Indeed, our sister-site, ScienceBlogs.de, covered this year’s award ceremony and is celebrating women in science more generally with a For Women in…
PC vs Mac: Race and Gender in Advertising
Posted by Zuska on October 1, 2008 There was something that always bothered me about the Mac commercials purporting to show me how hip Mac computers are. It’s that I never really felt included in the world of those ads. Mac computers are personified by a uber-cool geek-chic attractive young white man. PCs, of course take on the flesh of a somewhat…