Really disturbing blog & comments
I've never read this blog before. But check out this post about a recent NY Times article (which I haven't read) about the National Academies report on women in science.
Then look at the comments people are leaving.
Here's hoping those people don't migrate over here just to give me a hard time. Yuck.
shudder
Labels: women in science
posted by Ms.PhD @ 9:41 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Wow. Female Science Professor has bravely stepped into the comments section...
I had to stop reading. Just horrifying. I'd comment there myself, but it's so obvious the people who believe it's "choice" wouldn't be swayed. I believe this "choice" issue pushes a lot of women into directions they don't necessarily want to go. What people perceive as real choice is often not a choice at all.
No kidding. Althouse proports to be a feminist, but it sure doesn't sound like it. (See also this furor about bloggers meeting Clinton outlined at Happy Feminist, http://happyfeminist.typepad.com/happyfeminist/2006/09/were_here_we_ha.html.) Female Science Professor at http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2006/09/we-dont-want-to.html had a good counter-post to Tierney's column, if you're interested. I particularly appreciate the point that, if the panel had been all men and come up with these conclusions the composition would not merit comment.
Interesting blog. It's funny the mythology that's built up around "science" that's probably a product of the 1950's and legends of Emil Fischer and the "common" 60-70 hour work week. Anyway , I hope you get what you want. I don't see a name anywhere, but I am thinking of someone I knew a long time ago, if it's you, hello.
Best Regards,
Want to know something that's even more disturbing? Check out this list of prominent Republicans who've committed sex crimes.
http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=display&tsn=15&tid=21102&webtag=ab-usconservatv
Disgusting. It definitely makes sense, though.
Is your move for another postdoc? BTW, I started following your blog recently, so can you tell me how long you have been a postdoc?
I have a Ph.D. in chemistry and I know that the longer you are a postdoc the lower your chances of making it to The Big Time i.e. assistant professor at a research university.
I know some have urged you to not give up but I think happiness is based on achieving success on your own terms. And I'm not saying that you should give up. In my opinion, you only give up when you accept an unhappy life. I admit I never made it to The Big Time, but I've known many miserable PIs who did.
Once you make it to The Big Time, there will be more challenges and more politics to deal with. Crap, crap, crap most of the time.
Nonsense meetings and innuerable dumb memos to write and respond to, too.
I know I'm going to get grief for this, too, but I think you should be careful not to lose that boyfriend. As you say, you have few sources of support (as do most women in academia)and support can really aid scholarly and career productivity. Is it any wonder that most male PIs have wives who support them and help them with their daily lives if not do just about everything for them?
Power to you, you have intelligence and your writing shows it. I had to write to you.
I just think you should think about success in your whole life and not just in your career. The longer you have been a postdoc, the more this is true. My field was far from hot, and I was looking for a postdoc for years when this finally dawned on me.
I have taught, travelled, married, and had a child. I have a happy life and marriage, and I don't have to take crap, crap, crap from PIs or tenure committees. I've also taught myself tons of stuff using the web.
Others have suggested you might like consulting or a position in industry. They understand that there is more to life than academia. You are a good writer, you know a lot of science, .... You could do other stuff if necessary or by choice and still have a happy life. As you say, many people in jobs that don't require a Ph.D. get paid more than Ph.D.'s.
You know why? The reason is simple. Ph.D. requiring jobs are prestigious, creative, and usually have some flexibility built into them. A lot of people want those jobs, so it's supply and demand at work.
Sour grapes, you may think, since I didn't even get a postdoc, but you may even get recognition more easily if you choose to leave academia.
A lot of those comments don't even make sense. e.g. the comment about missing out on innovation by promoting women...um, if you consider women for sci/tech jobs, you are picking from a wider applicant pool--> more possibilities for innovation.
It's not like anyone is proposing that inanimate objects be tenured faculty members. Women can *gasp* actually contribute in these positions too.
Post a Comment
<< Home