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Lack of Women in the Hard Sciences

If one were to ask generally well-educated people, individuals with an educated layperson's knowledge of the history of science but no particular background in the history of women in science, to name some Important Women Scientists, the chances are quite great that the great majority of them would come up with precisely one name: that of Marie Curie. This small thought experiment demonstrates only one instance of a broader phenomenon, namely that at least in the popular cultural perception, the natural sciences have been an overwhelmingly male domain.

Why should this be the case? On one level, of course, the disparity between men and women in science is not surprising at all; it is simply one instance of a disparity that runs across the whole spectrum of public and professional life. If women scientists have been the exception, so have been women philosophers, women composers, women railroad executives, and women bank robbers. Until quite recently women were, if not legally excluded, at least heavily pressured against entry into all but a handful of organized professions, and the sciences were no exception.

But there is evidence that the barriers, direct or indirect, that barred women from the sciences are falling significantly more gradually than in other traditionally male areas of endeavor. In particular, as we shall see below, women seem to be finding it easier to move into the domain of law and politics--the very heart of the societal power structure--than into the sciences.

A variety of arguments have been offered by way of explanation for the durable character of the barriers that stand between women and the sciences, and a great deal of ink has been spilled in studies supporting one or another of these arguments. The following discussion does not seek to repeat and summarize the various studies and findings. Indeed, as we shall see below, the problem is one that cannot be readily resolved by more studie...

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Lack of Women in the Hard Sciences. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 04:56, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1690707.html