Includes bibliographical references (pages [237]-271) and index.
Contents:
Where are we going? Can you think of a female scientist? -- Not all scientists should be the same! -- Why early years matter -- Creativity is not just for artists -- Becoming a scientist -- Gendered slings and arrows -- Where are we going?
Summary:
Why are there still too few women scientists? Drawing on personal experience and those of leading women in science, Athene Donald presents this account of the historical and continuing systemic barriers and embedded bias that women face in the scientific sphere, arguing the moral and business case for greater diversity. Why are girls discouraged from doing science? Why do so many promising women leave science in early and mid-career? Why do women not prosper in the scientific workforce? Not Just For the Boys looks back at how society has historically excluded women from the scientific sphere and discourse, what progress has been made, and how more is still needed. Athene Donald, herself a distinguished physicist, explores societal expectations during both childhood and working life using evidence of the systemic disadvantages women operate under, from the developing science of how our brains are-and more importantly aren't-gendered, to social science evidence around attitudes towards girls and women doing science. It also discusses how science is done in practice, in order to dispel common myths: for example, the perception that science is not creative, or that it is carried out by a lone genius in an ivory tower, myths that can be very off-putting to many sections of the population. A better appreciation of the collaborative, creative, and multi-disciplinary nature of science is likely to lead to its appeal to a far wider swathe of people, especially women. This book examines the modern way of working in scientific research, and how gender bias operates in various ways within it, drawing on the voices of leading women in science describing their feelings and experiences. It argues the moral and business case for greater diversity in modern research, the better to improve science and tackle the great challenges we face today.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.