The Real Barriers For Women In Science

THE REAL BARRIERS FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE

National Academies report attributes underrepresentation to "implicit biases" and institutional policies, not lack of talent or drive.

http://insidehighered.com/news/2006/09/19/women

 

The answer is simple, (I believe) women are just more socially oriented then men are and science and math are not social majors. They are mostly reclusive, boring, majors just like computer science (another field lacking women).

Yet, look at the medical fields which rely heavily on science and it is full of women. Why, because its very social, and heavily interactive with people.

The classes in math and sciences are strict and tight laced, many of the teachers are cruel and/or mean (the meanest teachers will almost always be in the math and sciences departments imo), and they seem to be the least compassionate teachers as a group.

Many of them take a 'if you can't get it then drop out' attitude that is suicidal to the subjects. I know this sounds harsh towards college math and science teachers, but I am not the only one who feels this way.

Consistantly Colleges use their science and math classes as ways to weed out rather than teach. If they spent more time carring and teaching rather than weeding out, they would have a much better response not just from women, but men as well.

Listen to women all you math and science departments, they are trying to tell you something, but it seems your too dumb to listen.

 

I think there is a date error in the system, isn't your response from 1940?

Seriously it ain't the sex of the person but the attitude. I have seen woman who are the best in a computer science class (although rare) and I have seen those who had no clue. Are their profs with the "if you can't hack it drop out" attitude sure are. Many quotes from prof's I've heard:

->"if you want something practical drop out and go to college" (at a university)
->"I have tenure I can't be fired" (scary, but true!)
->"I am going to be your coach, think of this as a team. Now shut up and do as I say!" (nothing like letting the department Ph.D pet teach a course).

As someone who did a degree in a science (amongst other degrees) I admit I would like more woman in the class because well, most 17-22 year old guys in school are drunken fools (I know I was one!). And lets face it, if you as a student arn't getting together in groups to learn together then you will never be able to perform in the workforce!

As for your thoughts, hey that's your call but I feel for your wife!

 

How is thinking men and women are different, think different, act different 1940's thinking? If you think they are the same, then I don't know what world you have been living in all these years.

My point was not to say that women are not in these subjects because women are inferior, but because they are uninterested in the presentation of the subjects. They are packaged in a way that repels women, not attracts them.

I have no idea what you are trying to imply by those two quoted sentences, but I assure you my future wife needs no one to feel sorry for her. She will be on a pedestal that reaches the sky .

 

I have no doubt you don't get it...

Good luck trying to reach her. The point is simply: male/female, gay/straight, black/white, ying/yang. If they make it as a student, employee or anything its how they adapt.

 

The whole purpose of this post (I suppose) is about how to get women into (or finding out whats keeping women out of) science, not why science is setup the way it is or what good it does in the way it is currently delivered.

I understand that adapting is very imporant in the workplace, but there are other things just as important. For instance, getting lots of girls to become interested in chemistry, computer science, physics and other male dominated fields. The way you get more girls interested is find out why they hate it in the first place (and they do hate it). Which is what I'm trying to do.

In your posts, all you have done is take shots at me, and talk about equality and adapting .

How do you propose the sciences get more girls in their majors? In your opinion, what are the barriers keeping them out?

 

I asked this of my junior / senior class. This question for both why women are not proporitional in hard sciences and executive positions. I was shocked thata about 4-5 women started the discussion by stating it is becuase so many women want to stay at home, so they don't want a "hard" job, and they want a job that will not require a huge number of hours. I am still shocked.

 

Han, this is very interesting. I was having a conversation along these same lines this past spring semester for a communications course I was teaching.

Although some female students were not as "blunt" about it as yours were some of the responses were categorised along similar lines:

- working about 10 years is enough before it's time to stay home and have a family
- part time jobs are OK just to get out of the house once in a while
- employers demand too many hours out of employees
- men in the workplace just don't get how much work is required to keep a household going and are not as flexible for time off (i.e. when a child is sick)
- repetitive work gets boring after a while. scientific and engineering jobs are repetitive

 

Wow........ just........ Wow.

 

I think this just goes to show what young women are conditioned to think and to expect of themselves. I don't believe there is a biological imperative that forces women to sabotage their careers but its the positive reinforcement we get for being nurturing to the point of selflessness. Recent research has shown the men and women are much more alike than they are different. In terms of cognitive skills it has been shown that there is no statistical difference in math nor verbal skills between men and women. Trying to understand why more women don't enter engineering, math or physical sciences is no more difficult than to understand why young boys (before they understand the relative value of careers) don't want to become nurses, teachers, ballerinas or fashion models.

It's cultural stereotypes that inhibit womens career paths -- no more, no less. In different cultures (ex. China/India) you see women in these fields in much higher percentages than in the USA.

 

Good for you, glad to see more woman in computer science. When I went it was
year 1: 5:195
year 2: 2:78
year 3: 2:48
year 4: 2:18

We need as many as we can get!