Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication
Being a woman is no obstacle in science if you are determined and have the will to succeed
I came across this quote when I was in school. Since then I wanted to be like an eagle - reaching the heights no adversity can touch. It made me go above the clouds whenever it rained. Now I welcome the rain and more challenges in my life!
Recently I read an article in SA. You too can read it here:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/07/12/women-in-...
It says being a woman is really an obstacle in science.
"Wait a minute", I thought after reading the article, "This attitude of women should change." And I am going to help them change it.
So I gave this reply to the author:
Yes, to some extent what you said is true in some parts of India and the developing world. But I never ever faced any discrimination just because I am a girl/woman. Nor did I suffer more than any man while pursuing my career in science in India.
In fact I feel this discrimination and suffering you talk about should make us more determined and strong. Don’t complain. Smash those glass ceilings and boulders in your way and let me see who dares to stop you. If you want equality, don’t expect someone else to give it to you or help you in getting it. Grab it with both hands and move forward. Nobody and nothing can come your way if you really have a will to follow your heart.
Agreed the system has loopholes. But women have waited for centuries for the system to get corrected. It might take much more time in the future too because you cannot correct the centuries old system overnight. If we wait for the perfect conditions to launch ourselves, it would take much much longer time for women to progress. So an effort must be made now at individual levels too!
Another one here says how stereotyping makes women scientists' confidence go low:
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/12/156664337/stereotype-threat-why-women...
My reply : Interesting article. But I never ever felt low before my male colleagues. I always feel confident because I am well informed about not only my subject but also has adequate knowledge about other things ( if you don't have good knowledge in your subject nobody will respect you!). Maybe that gave me real confidence! I was never psychologically effected by stereotypical statements like "women are not as good as men in science subjects". Why should you feel you are inferior to men when you are not just because somebody says you are? Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent!
How much truth is there in the above articles and statements? Here is a confident reply from a woman scientist with whom I fully agree:
Being a woman made it even more challenging, given the social norms, but the support of my parents, close family and teachers was overwhelming. It made me what I am today. I chose Nuclear Physics against electronics and solid state physics at BHU simply due to the “outstanding” set of teachers. I always admired women who worked through adversities and did pioneering work. In addition, my mother is the epitome, of diligence! My father had an amazing confidence in my abilities;
My dreams lay more on the basis of being able to do something meaningful and impactful in life than to just earn money. http://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article3639263.ece?homepage=true
Women give several excuses for not moving forward in step with their male colleagues. Let me discuss a few now.
(1) They can't find men who can date them when they go into the fields of science like Physics! ( are they complaining unintentionally that it goes against their femininity to enter the male dominated fields and exhibit their grey matter and therefore have to choose between their femininity and science research/being good at doing several things?).
My view: This is funny. Because when I was doing my PG and Ph.D. in sciences, I used to run away from men/boys who pursued me constantly because I thought dating men was a hindrance to my work! And that these things were obstacles to my science career! The more I ran away from men, the more they followed me! Who says beauty (of feminine fame) and brains can't go together? It seems if a woman thinks that a man will always look at her intelligence and her looks as mutually exclusive properties, she will feel much more pressure to pick between the two. Women, you need not feel this pressure! You can have both the things at the same time confusing and driving men mad! And enjoy it too! I don't think this is a genuine excuse!
(2) They have to look after their young children.
My view: When two people are involved in a marriage alliance even the husbands have equal responsibilities in looking after children. Several men do help their wives. I have seen many successful women who can juggle several things at a time! Women are very good at these things! I looked after my old and ailing parents too - which was equally difficult. I set up a mini lab at home to continue working whenever I have to stay at home because of my responsibilities! If women think they can't do both things of bringing children up and scientific research at the same time, they can take some time off, take part time work, work from home or go back to work again after a few years (keeping in touch with their subject constantly during this off -period is important so that they don't lose their confidence), when their children have grown up.
Try new things. Take the unbeaten path. Just because everyone else is doing something, doesn’t mean you have to as well. When I couldn't work outside of my home for some time because of my responsibilities, I started communicating science which is as important as doing research in science.
(3)Women's treatment – both subtle and sometimes blatantly non-subtle – at the hands of their male peers, parents and society at large leads to low self-esteem and lack of self confidence in their ability to succeed in science.
My view: Women, don't let the external factors dictate your life. If you think you have the ability to do a work, just do it and show the world what you are capable of. The world then will have no other go but to accept your talents and intelligence ( please read one of my poems "The power of a strong will" which says this here : http://kkartlab.in/group/theartofwritingpoems/forum/topics/the-powe...
(4) Lack of encouragement from their family members/ male colleagues:
My view: Ladies, haven't you heard about self motivation? If you have the determination, nobody or nothing can stop you!
(5) History tells how difficult it is for women (1) to win a Nobel prize or any other prestigious award. Highly accomplished women like Gertrude Elion, Emmy Noether and Gerty Cori had to play second fiddle to their less accomplished male counterparts even after publishing groundbreaking research. The example of Jocelyn Bell Burnell is well-known. Bell discovered the first pulsar while working for her advisor, Anthony Hewish. Ideally she should have shared in Hewish’s Nobel Prize but she didn’t.
My view: I feel before complaining women should think about Marie Curie, Christiane Nusslein-Volhard, Emmy Noether, Lise Meitner, Barbara McClintock, Chien-Shiung Wu, and Rosalind Franklin. These and other remarkable women struggled against gender discrimination, raised families, and became political and religious leaders. They were mountain climbers, musicians, seamstresses, and gourmet cooks. Above all, they were strong, joyful women in love with discovery. Derive inspiration from them, learn lessons from their lives and move forward. Why should we enter the field of science with thoughts that depress us instead of stories that inspire us?
(6) It seems even though women are 'gifted', because of the “slow drumbeat of being underappreciated, feeling uncomfortable and encountering roadblocks along the path to success” ( are we nervous?!) are stopping them from moving forward.
My view: But don't forget that if a woman is 'really gifted with abundant grey matter', she is also gifted with the ability to overcome these obstacles. Make this ability work at full throttle to overcome all the roadblocks, ladies!
(7) Being the only woman in the company of several males makes them uncomfortable !
My view: My dears, I myself faced this situation several times during my career! I was never nervous or felt I was a woman during these situations! I never felt I was different from men in any way! ( I will tell an interesting story here: Once we went into a forest to collect samples when I was doing my Ph.D. There were eight men and I was the only woman in the group. One of the men teased me and said: "Krishna, what will you do if we come across a Tiger now?" I casually replied, "I will do the same you guys would do". "We will climb trees. Can you climb a tree with this dress of yours? ( Yes, I was wearing a saree then), they all laughed. "Why not?" I said firmly without reacting much to their laughter. "I bet you cannot, wearing this dress", one of my male colleagues challenged me. " I can and I will", I said firmly. They all started laughing. I immediately kept my bag down, selected a nearby tall tree and to the astonishment of all my male colleagues, climbed up the tree! It wasn't easy, I was then - like I am now- a very delicate person, my hands and legs ached, blisters formed on them but still to show the men, they cannot take me lightly, I did this. The men were shocked into silence! They all started taking me seriously since then. And they took pictures of me climbing the tree and showed them to everybody in the university campus, especially my professors and although my professors smiled at them, they scolded me gently too. My colleagues tell me they still have those pictures with them! I am sure they learned the lesson of not taking my words lightly or doubting my ability to do things again! So?!)
I will again tell one of my other experiences. We had a conference on toxins in a very dangerous place of North India where we had to travel through a stretch of forest by train where you would frequently come across dangerous bandits. Our group leader was a woman. All my male colleagues refused to go with her because of the danger involved. Then one of my female colleagues and I volunteered to go with her. Our group leader spoke to my parents about the danger involved. Then my father told her he had faith in me to face the dangers and that he had no objection to send me to the conference. That gave me more confidence.
And we traveled to this place called Bhagalpur, a backward place in Bihar, we encountered the bandits on our way, faced them with tact and escaped, presented our papers and returned back safely. Then everybody started praising us - the group of women who bravely had gone to a place where men feared to go to present their science research papers!
Need I say more? This is a different situation but still I feel women have to take these chances to progress through the male dominated field of science.
{One lady said after reading this: The 'blood and sweat' people like you have had to expend to achieve in your field could have been used to even better effect to achieve even more, if we can acknowledge the obstacles that do exist.
And my reply to her: Most of these obstacles have been identified long back. Several Governments around the world took steps to tackle the problems too like giving monetary assistance to women and girls to get educated in the science subjects - sometimes even waiving fee, giving special preferences to women in jobs etc., relaxing age limits for women to enter the field of science and bringing laws to stop women being harassed in male dominated fields. I have seen all these positive steps being taken in this part of the world. Problems have been identified and corrective steps have been taken by the States. But it takes time to change the mind set of people. Laws alone cannot change them. We must do our bit too to counter backlash, resentment, and lack of respect and support from male colleagues because of affirmative actions and reservations.
The 'sweat and blood' aspect is common to both men and women in developing countries at higher levels of education and career. We struggle more here than the people in the developed countries. Are we wasting our time because of this? It isn't a waste of time as we develop new skills, learn how to do things creatively and efficiently with the limited resources we have {this came to light during studies on different systems (3)}, learn how to conserve things and how to increase our mental strength - especially our resilience and confidence. Like Shakespeare said, 'sweet are the uses of adversity' (only if you are a good learner!). And I have learned how to climb a tree, face bandits without fear and how to tackle them with tact, how to efficiently use my limited time for various things I do, above all how to progress efficiently as a woman with all the limitations around me. These lessons are as important in my life as my research in science! Like one of my female colleagues says - if a woman can work and succeed in a scientific research institute in India, she can face anything with confidence anywhere in the world! “Life without problems is like a school without classes. You don’t learn your lessons”.}
(8) They are paid less than men for doing the same work.
My view: Refuse to accept it. Challenge people to show that you are inferior to any man either in intelligence, creativity, ability to do the work, confidence, less skilled or any other thing that is responsible for such discrimination.
But then I was never discriminated. I was always asked politely to put forward my expectations of salary and was offered what I deserved and expected in all the fields I work in!
[ This in a region ( South Asia) where, according to recent UN reports (2), women to a greater extent than men – are in vulnerable employment, paid less than men, girls are more likely than boys to perform unpaid work ! According to these reports, in the less developed regions, many young girls aged 5-14 take on a large amount of household chores, including care-giving, cooking and cleaning, and older girls do so to an even greater extent. Here, girls generally work longer hours than boys. Long hours of work in developing countries to which India belongs, affect children’s ability to participate fully in education. Analysis shows that school attendance declines as the number of hours spent on household chores increases – and declines more steeply for girls than for boys. So, ladies, don't think the situation here favours women. In fact it is worse than developed countries! ]
So what is the reason for people making me one of the exceptions? It is because....
Whenever I participate in debates/conferences/seminars in any of the fields I am associated with, I try to be in the forefront, see that my voice will be heard and noticed by everybody, say things with confidence using reasoning and the right logic, make use of all my talents, and show people why they are wrong when they oppose me. This really made people respect me. So usually nobody dares to sideline me or ignore me. In fact people - including men - come to me for guidance and support! And when some men told me I was their inspiration, I was pleasantly surprised!
I am an introvert but knowledge in several fields gave me strength and the ability to move forward without any hindrance. It gave me the thrust and I am as good as any extrovert in putting my views across even in the presence of all experts. I am not worried about anything or anyone now. Knowledge has great power. So women get armed with it if you want to succeed in male dominated fields.
To show the world, especially men, my capabilities I entered all the three fields which are treated as 'reserved for intellectuals' - science, art and literature. I was trained only in science and developed skills in several other fields on my own. I became a polymath and display all my capabilities along with my name so that men can never belittle me - even if they do it they do it out of jealousy and not because of lack of abilities on my part! And you should feel proud if you can make any man jealous!
Once a person called me Lady Da Vinci. I told him not to call me a Da Vinci because although he was a legend (and I am not) - he was not known for his literary capabilities. Call me Krishna Kumari, with my own name. Let the world recognize and associate the name with female mind power!
Most of these 'obstacles' women say they face appear more daunting because of insecurity, nervousness, lack of confidence, self assurance and determination. So one must make an effort to tackle them first. Then you don't feel these road blocks at all!
To become successful in science for that matter in any field, you need perfect confidence, will to succeed, tight grip over your subject (this is a must!), awareness of the latest things happening in the field, creative capability to connect things, belief in your abilities and a little bit of support from your parents and teachers - if you don't get outside support, self -assurance works best. And, magic, magic, magic, magic, you will be on the top of the world. Gender has no other go but to become irrelevant!
- Don't speak…
- Just do it…
- Reach on the apex..
- So, revenge will have been done.
The only bird that dares to peck an eagle with its beak is the crow.
She sits down on the eagle's back and pecks him in the neck.
The eagle does not react or fight with the crow. He doesn't waste time or energy on the crow.
Instead, he simply opens his wings and begins to soar higher into the sky. The higher he flies, the harder it is for the crow to breathe and eventually the crow just falls down because it lacks oxygen.
Learn from the eagle and don't fight the crows, just keep climbing higher.
They may still be sitting on you, but they will soon fall down.
Don't get distracted.
Concentrate on the things above you and keep climbing up.
The Lesson of the Eagle and the Crow, Solara
References:
1. http://www.amazon.com/Nobel-Prize-Women-Science-Discoveries/dp/0309...
2. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/Worldswomen/WW_full...
3. http://www.ted.com/talks/navi_radjou_creative_problem_solving_in_th...
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01j0y0s
Jocelyn Bell Burnell on being denied a Nobel PrizeIn an interview with Jim Al-Khalili in 2011, Prof Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell explains why she thinks her contribution to the discovery of pulsars went unrecognised by the Nobel Committee when they awarded the 1974 Prize for Physics.
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http://www.cfr.org/india/governance-india-womens-rights/p30041
Governance in India: Women's Rights
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CKK:
Thank you ladies, with each comment you add here I am improving my article by addressing your concerns. So keep them coming in!Tania Brenes-Arguedas
I love this discussion. Thanks for bringing the topic up Krishna. I am not really sure if I agree or disagree with your points, but it sure is a nice conversation starter. As a scientist from a developing country that now lives in the US I can see the cultural differences in how people view challenges. When I studied chemistry in Costa Rica (incidentally in a chemistry department that was more matriarchal than patriarchal) I was completely oblivious to any issues regarding women in science. Yes, we complained about chauvinism in our society but in other areas, it never occurred to me to question chauvinism related to science education (was it just me? was it because I was playing in a different league? who knows). I first heard about this when I went to grad school in the US. And I think the reason is cultural. No, women in the US probably do not suffer any more hurdles than elsewhere. But the US (I do not have as much experience with Europe but it may be similar) in many ways is a very egalitarian culture (or hopes to be). People do not like to feel that they do not have the same opportunities and they are always looking for ways to smooth the field. In my view that is why they have dissected the issues of women in science with so much obsessiveness and analysis. Nothing wrong with that (there is plenty of scientific evidence to prove that biases exist), except that by doing that they have also feed my paranoia. It was easier to jump hurdles and overcome obstacles, when they were just that: normal bumps in the path to success. Now, I am always second guessing, and the truth is the regardless what the statistics tell you, you can never tell for sure if you found a problem because you are a woman. So, I'd say, yes, the problem is real and not simple to fix, but Krishna has a point, and is that what do we gain by over-analyzing? (and believe me, over-analyzing things is my favorite pastime) and at what point are we wasting too much energy in worrying about it rather than just accept the un-leveled field and trundling through it the best we womanly can (which we all know is pretty darn good).
Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa likes this
Dream Gomez
Experienced Systems Engineer providing enterprise wide solutions for globally distributed clients.
I would love, with all my heart and soul, to stop obsessing and analyzing this issue. It would be a boon to me if I could just deal with the "normal" hurdles where the only thing that matters is how well I do my job and how much ambition I have, and positioning myself for the advancements and positions that I earn. I wish I had experiences in other cultures that might broaden my perspective on the issue. I only know this culture I live in. And where I appreciate the perspective of women who do not see or do not think that the hurdles that are placed in front of them are based on gender, I also appreciate the women who do see them and seek to remove them for everyone.
Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa
I think Tania understood my view point well. Thanks for that. To be frank, I too never felt I was being targeted just because I was a woman and that these issues are really important. I come from a culture where women were worshiped in the ancient times but completely ignored, attacked and seen as slaves in some parts of India now - not in my immediate surroundings though. It is really shocking for me to read daily in news papers and watch on TV how women are being treated in some parts of India. I became a social activist to fight for women's rights. At the same time I feel women should handle this problem from a different perspective. Self-pity doesn't serve any purpose. Waiting for the system to get corrected immediately on its own just because we have identified the problem is expecting too much We must become strong enough to handle it ourselves, do our bit and show men we are in no way intellectually inferior to them is the best way I feel we should proceed.
Yes, the cultural and environmental differences do make a difference in understanding and solving a problem, Ms. Gomez. I know that the environment you live in has made you see my view as hostile but in reality it is not! I was just suggesting another solution to the problem. It worked for me. It can also work for others if they try it. So I request women to consider alternate solutions too.Dream Gomez
Experienced Systems Engineer providing enterprise wide solutions for globally distributed clients.
Perhaps we misunderstand each other. I don't see your view point as hostile. and I apologize if there is room to view my contributions as hostile. I have expressed my appreciation for your point of view and the comments by fellow readers. My thoughts were meant to be additive NOT in opposition to your article.
Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa
Oh, thank you, Ms. Gomez. I think we understand each other well now.
Tania Brenes-Arguedas
Scientist - biostatistics | biology | chemistry
Dear Dream, believe me, is not that I don't think that the hurdles in front of me were independent of my gender (or my accent for that matter), my point is that it was better when I had not thought about it. For example: take a girl in a stem program, the same girl that used to hear that she was not good at math because girls aren’t. Now you tell her “No, don't listen to them, you are as good at it as the boys, you can study and excel in whatever you want... but… when you get there the whole world is going to be biased against you because you are a girl”. Does that sound more motivating to you? This discussion is well intended, by demonstrating that there is a bias we are trying to protect women self-esteem as they struggle, we tell them "it is not your fault, it is the outside world". However, this argument also has the opposite effect by making the battle not an internal one (where you have control) but an external one (you against the world). And this may make our girl feel that the battle is lost, that she may not be strong enough to fight the world. Now, I am a pathologically positive person, so I’ll finish with a positive outlook to the problem. At one point that I was going through a pretty rough spot in my job, I reached out to a female senior scientist. As all of them, she is a pretty amazing woman I look up to. Once I was done crying and explaining my struggle she said something like: “that is clearly the glass ceiling you are hitting”. That gave me some relieve (“yes, it is not my fault!”) and a lot of distress (“but now what?”). So, I asked her how do you fight that? And she said “you don’t, you can’t, but you can avoid it. That ceiling is formed by people that are quite unaware of what they are doing, there may be big egos involved, and surely deaf ears, it is not worth hurting yourself trying to get through there. But not everyone is like that, there are some great people you can work with (men and women), they are your good collaborators, your friends at work, the people that make your work enjoyable. So you surround yourself by those people and keep moving on. One day, you look back and realize that you built a pretty amazing career behind you, and don’t care what those early detractors think of you any more”. Finding that group may mean having to change your workplace, but it is worth. So, I do not deny that the glass ceiling exists, I have been there. But I decided not to fight it, by focusing on the fact that is not about an imaginary solid ceiling formed by the world, but instead is about different people and politics. That does not mean that I am not trying to remove those ceilings for girls to come. Just the opposite, each time I bypass one of those ceilings then I open a new path for a woman to come after me, just like this (and other) women did for me.
Alison Kalman (nee Gottlieb)
Specialize in Math & Science Teaching(4-12th), Telecom, Construction & Engineering
But, how does one get what they want (like myself a dream to be a Professor in Biomedical Engineering) without the painstaking of payments of education for an M.S. and a PhD? I would love to do research even for pro-bono for now under a Professor supervision to get me started somewhere and somehow. This is my dream, to be a Professor in Biomedical Engineering since I've done senior thesis in BioMechanical Engineering and always wanted to be in teaching since switching from the Corporate Environment. Teaching is my office - I have windows.
Alison Kalman (nee Gottlieb)
Dr. Challa..I really enjoyed reading your column or blog. It is very inspirational, I really am aiming for my reality - a Professor in Biomedical Engineering at least teaching one class. I would like to start with doing research first and have to figure out that path of "least resistance".
I come from an education where I literally "went around the world" without paying for a plane ticket. (i.e. so many Colleagues from around the world - mostly Men)..but the Women were very diverse ethnicity as well. I enjoyed my College undergrad despite there were very few women in the Engineering program. Although, I had the advantage to work with an Asian Professor and Women colleagues from around the world. (i.e. Pakistan, Bangladesh, West Indies, Camaroon, Cairo and more.
Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa
Glad my article could inspire women in the field of science and made them think differently. The purpose has been served.
It really is interesting to read the stories of women, their struggles, experiences and successes.
Daily I see several young girls choosing, Maths , Physics and Chemistry to enter the Engineering fields here but sadly most of them say they choose these subjects to get a better pay so that they can attract men and increase their marriage prospects! I am really disappointed to hear this. Unless women/girls change this view, overcome the cultural conditioning of their minds and work for a better life for themselves and a better world, we cannot expect men and the world to respect us.
http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=2417876&type=me... -
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Alison Kalman (nee Gottlieb)
Dr. Challa.. It was sad for me to hear years ago during Thermodynamics class, that a Professor would yell out to me during class "The only reason why I was in this Engineering program was to attract men."..That threw me off guard when he mentioned that to me outloud. That was never my intentions of going into Engineering. I never dated anyone in my program since I knew it was male-dominated.
Math came natural to me, never had to really study for it. Although, the other subjects (i.e. History, etc.), I did have to study for because some had no logic, for me, behind it. Also, I had once another Professor in AutoCAD tell me out loud in class that, "females have a hard time seeing 3-dimensionally". I felt like saying, "oh really so, huh?"..But, never did I speak up back to these Professors and just took the "statements".
Alison Kalman (nee Gottlieb)
I agree Dr. Challa..just ignore and move on to get the big picture of what we're there for -a degree.
Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa
Sorry to hear your bad experiences, Ms Kalman. Cultural conditioning of minds will make people see what they see, say what they say and do what they do. If training in schools and collages cannot remove these biases, I feel the education system has failed to a large extent. Yes, I have read papers which say women see 3-dimentional pics in a different way. I don't know what to say. (you too an read the reports here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sex/articles/spatial_tests.s... and here
http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n11/mente/eisntein/cerebro-homens.html
)Are they biased studies or true? When I read the second one, I felt it was a biased one. Because I have seen women mechanical engineers, pilots, race car drivers, astronauts doing their work without any difficulty. What I feel is as women were made to sit at home for several centuries and till recently they couldn't realize their abilities, they take more time to get adjusted to the outside world, but once they get adjusted, they can perform the tasks as good as any man. Meanwhile we will have to bear these biased comments and teasing from men. But I tell women just to ignore them, do your job as efficiently as possible and make the men retract their own words.
Yes, you feel bad when you hear them, your blood boils, your mind gets agitated and it effects your work. Maybe that is the reason why these men say these things to disturb our balance. That is where we should be cautious. We should not allow external factors to effect our work. Difficult to do , easy to give advice. But let me tell you we women can do things as good as any man. Some of the men admit it too :) So, you need not worry.http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=2417876&type=me...
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http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/10/24/engineeri...
Females in engineering in India emerged as the most confident group and felt more comfortable in their environment as compared with male engineers! -
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Why Google wants women
http://money.cnn.com/video/technology/2013/10/21/t-google-wants-wom...! -
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Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa
Thanks for the useful discussion to you, Ms. Kalman, and also others. It really broadens ones' view when one understands how women interact with their surroundings and societies and progress.
Ann Rundle
interesting discussion, that I have watched from the sidelines and thought to jump in. I suppose I had a wonderful role model in my mother, who graduated with a dual degree in Chemistry & Biology back in 1939 (I should add she was really old when I was born!) and she accomplished this in only three years, while working after school. She went on to have a wonderful career and ran the bacteriology department for the City of Chicago's Filtration department. She elected to take off time to raise a family and returned to the work force as a high school teacher.
All three girls in my family pursued careers in STEM areas, my oldest sister majored in Biology in college, my middle sister focused on math (she was and is a whiz with numbers) and I graduated from University of Michigan with an engineering degree. And just to show that I could do what my mom did, I completed my engineering degree in only three years, while working as a research assistant and student grader and making the Dean's List.
I never really felt hugely discriminated against while in engineering school, though perhaps I was initially treated as a curiosity. My experience has been that once people realize there is substance behind what one does and says, in most cases you can rise above, or work around being mis-treated.
I worked as an engineer the first six years of my professional career, earned my MBA while going to school at night and transitioned in program management, in shipbuilding. I have typically worked in male dominated fields. In yacht design and shipbuilding I can honestly say I did not experience discrimination, I was treated with respect for my capabilities and contributions.
http://www.linkedin.com/groupAnswers?viewQuestionAndAnswers=&di...
Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa
Ms. Rundle, very glad to hear a story similar to mine! Very inspirational! Well done! Your story once again proves that when a woman lifts herself very high with grit and determination nobody dares to touch her.
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End harassment
http://www.nature.com/news/end-harassment-1.13991 -
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http://www.nature.com/news/specials/women/index.html
Women in ScienceScience remains institutionally sexist. Despite some progress, women scientists are still paid less, promoted less frequently, win fewer grants and are more likely to leave research than similarly qualified men. This special issue of Nature takes a hard look at the gender gap — from bench to boardroom — and at what is being done to close it.
This special issue is dedicated to the memory of Maxine Clarke. In the 28 years Maxine spent championing the highest scientific standards as an editor at Nature, she was all too often the only one to ask, “Where are the women?”
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Crying wolf: Who benefits and when?
Published: Monday, October 28, 2013 - 21:05 in Psychology & SociologyA crisis at work can bring out the best in colleagues, often inspiring more cooperation and self-sacrifice. A new study from Indiana University and the University of Guelph has found the benefits are not shared equally, with higher-ranking group members having the most to gain by perceived threats to the group. "Sociologists have known for a long time that groups tend to come together when they face adversity," said social psychologist Stephen Benard, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at IU Bloomington. "What our research highlights is that there is a downside to our tendency to stick together when things are tough -- powerful group members can exploit that tendency to distract us from competing with them."
The study, "Who cries wolf, and when? Manipulation of perceived threats to preserve rank in cooperative groups," was published in the online journal Proceedings of the Library of Science One in September. Pat Barclay, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at University of Guelph in Canada is the co-author.
Benard and Barclay tested their theories by creating three-person groups and having them play a cooperative group game in which people could pay money to increase the perception of threat to their group. They found that people with higher-ranking positions paid more to manipulate the threat and the action helped maintain their privileged positions.
"With this approach, we find people in high-ranking positions are more likely to manipulate apparent threats when their position is precarious, compared to when it is secure," Benard said. But this doesn't mean the next crisis at work is a ploy by the boss to boost her job security. Social science predictions involve the average person, in general, not specific people or situations.
"When groups face potential threats, it's important to judge those threats carefully," Benard said. "On one hand, you want to be alert to the fact that other group members might have an incentive to exaggerate the threat. On the other hand, it's also important not to underestimate threats that could be real."
Source: Indiana University
and http://esciencenews.com/articles/2013/10/28/crying.wolf.who.benefit... -
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http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/10/28/socio-e...
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