Women and science The Boston Globe Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Are women and science like oil and water? Harvard University's president, Lawrence Summers, says no, and in a statement last week he described his deep commitment to the advancement of women in science. . But outrage had flared the previous week when Summers spoke at a conference on women and minorities in the sciences and engineering. He raised questions about whether innate gender differences account for the low numbers of women in the sciences, the impact of long work weeks, socialization versus genes, and a possible dampening of discrimination. . Summers deserves some credit for tackling a sticky issue. But missing, apparently, was the diplomacy that could have sparked a productive conversation. Fortunately, ample chance remains to talk, to dismiss myths and solve problems. . Are men and women innately different? It's a moot point, since women have already shown they can be first-class scientists. For her book "The Door in the Dream: Conversations with Eminent Women in Science," Elga Wasserman, a senior research scholar at Yale Law School, interviewed women who were members of the National Academy of Sciences. She found that these women were like all scientists: Their approach to science differed vastly regardless of gender. . Discussing women and science means discussing the nature of opportunity. The United States is awash in computer games and science fiction. But America is a science-poor environment for girls and boys. Schools lack teachers with the academic qualifications, resources and grit to make teenagers fluent in atomic structure and the periodic table. Students often don't have the chance to explore their dreams of becoming an astronaut or a marine biologist. . Women in the field who become parents also should get more respect. To encourage mothers to choose academic science over the private sector, schools could allow more time for research and families - an approach that could also help men. . Market forces work slowly as an antidote for discrimination. Deliberate action is faster. Wasserman points to the dramatic increase in the number of women in the sciences after the passage of equal opportunity legislation in the 1970s. . Harvard officials also see the need for action. Prior to Summers' speech the school had committed $25 million to promoting the hiring of "underrepresented groups," including women and minorities. . Now it's time for Summers to step off of his tongue and modernize the debate. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Has someone you know been affected by illness or disease? Network for Good is THE place to support health awareness efforts! http://us.click.yahoo.com/rkgkPB/UOnJAA/Zx0JAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
