Stop the abstract theorizing. Halt the heated debates in academic institutions everywhere. I've solved the great mystery of why scientific fields (in particular mathematics and physics) have such a hard time retaining women:
Because it sure can suck sometimes to be a woman in science.
Let me flesh that idea out just a bit. First, a young woman who dreams of being a scientist must sit through four years of being the only woman (or one of few) in her undergraduate classes. Let's be honest here: 9 times out of 10, being in the minority is just inherently uncomfortable in any situation. People tend to choose to spend their time and energy in environments where they feel they can be part of a community and a culture. Merely being a different gender than everyone around you makes it more difficult to feel you are part of the culture of science.
Then you get to grad school, where (and I don't care how smart you are) you are bound to run up against some serious academic challenges sooner or later. The kind that makes you wonder if you can hack it. Suddenly, you realize that you've got a choice between plowing through some of the shit on your desk, or keeping in touch with old friends/spending time showing your boyfriend you care/calling your family members once in a while. Not to mention taking care of yourself. Meanwhile, by this time, you're in your mid-twenties and starting to think about when in your life if ever you are going to be able to start a family, especially if you're living on a graduate student salary and time budget until well into your thirties. I don't think that I'm going too far out on a limb when I say that in general, interpersonal relationships probably weigh more heavily in importance for most women than for most men.
I don't know from personal experience how the story continues post-graduate school, but the statistics certainly seem to indicate that it's not "happily ever after."
At some point, no matter how much you love science and mathematics, there comes a time when the grueling uphill climb to establish a career in these fields makes you wonder whether it's worth the sacrifice. In my experience, this is true of both men and women. But with a much steeper gradient ahead of them, women seem to question it far earlier.
Anyway... time for vacation. (Deep breath.)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
My sentiments exactly. I dropped plans for the Neuro track after doing my undergrad lab work with a bunch of dudes whose whole lives were in that lab... It also just wasn't fun, and why sacrifice all other hopes/parts of life for something that in 40 years could be a wonderful legacy, but for those 40 years is kind of a drag and incredibly hard? I couldn't deal with signing away that much time of my life to what I knew would be unenjoyable, stressful, lonely years... But then again, I am pretty damn lazy and wasn't all that good at neuroscience...tricky.
Hey Suzski, I think you'll like the ladies on this blog...
http://www.skepchick.org/blog/
This is why I am glad to be a Word Person. I think despite the fact that it is ridiculously hard to break into journalism/writing/publishing in any meaningful sense, at least I have the prospect (perhaps a mirage, but still a hope) of freelancing during my childbearing years. But yeah, I feel you. It's no fun when you have one free hour all week and you have to decide between going to the gym, going to the grocery store, or getting lunch with a friend.
Perhaps one of these book could help.
http://www.nap.edu/collections/womeninscience/?referrer=Google&gclid=CMK8uZnyjYsCFRbjYAodwVEgTA
BTW, I think numbers of women in physics and math are higher than engineering (esp. computer science) from my random memory from being in school. You have it good in math and physics as compared to the wonderful world of electrical eng. & computer science.
Hey Suz!
I'm really sorry to see that things haven't changed much in the last 42 years! I encountered the same thing when I was one of 3 women in an engineering physics lecture of 350 (of course 347 were men!) Talk about social pressure? Try getting the best grade on the 5 credit calculus exam in your class of 120 when you are the only woman. I opted out for a career in computer programming and it worked out much better, because I think women relate better to other people and make better analysts, especially when client contact is involved. And yes, it certqinly worked out better when trying to juggle kids and family.
Good luck with the classes, and I wish you the best
Post a Comment