A woman working on an all-female team of data scientists in the gaming industry pulls an ingenious prank on her male CEO and replaces the scantily clad female comic character he has a soft (hard?) spot for with another kind of poster.
But lest we forget, one of the brave everyday women at the helm of the Second Wave of Feminism did the exact same thing 40 years ago and shared it on the “social media” of her day.
(↬ MetaFilter)
15 years before the recent Wikipedia literary sexism controversy, Margaret Atwood addresses literature’s women problem.
Doesn’t this photo just say, “Ask me again about Stroganoff?” When a New York Times obituary for a female rocket scientist opens with her beef stroganoff recipe, you know the gender gap in science has taken a turn for the aberrant.
Meanwhile, to lift the spirits, some gender-stereotype-busting vintage photos of women in science.
Lovely cover for a 1930s Portuguese math book … except for the era’s characteristic boy-patronizes-girl gender dynamics.
Pair with some gorgeous vintage science infographics from the same period.
Researchers say cultural forces keeping girls away from scientific careers are strong in the United States, Britain and Canada but far less pervasive in Russia, Asia and the Middle East.
A stirring look at why girls are outperforming boys in science – but not in the U.S.
Study looks at the demographics of New York Times obituaries over the past 70 years. Some of the findings:
• In the 1940s and ’50s, the paper ran many more obits than it does today; some were but a single paragraph.
• Prior to 1960, cause of death was not always included; today, it usually is. In our survey, aids was first listed as a cause of death in 1992.
• Where the dead were educated has remained relatively constant: The Ivy League reigns supreme.
• The obits have always been male-heavy. In 1972, a typical female obit was two paragraphs, and spoke not of the deceased’s accomplishments but of those of her husband and sons.
• Starting in the 1990s, the obits became more diverse, racially and ethnically, but also in terms of people who had distinguished themselves in occupations other than business or politics—attorneys, artists, scientists, athletes, and actors.
Previously, the appalling gender ratios of mainstream media’s obituaries.
Appalling gender-ratio stat of the day: Mainstream media don’t seem to care when we lose notable women.
It’s Malala Day, an open call to bring education to every child and outlaw discrimination against girls.
Whenever the subject of women in science comes up, there are people fiercely committed to the idea that sexism does not exist. They will point to everything and anything else to explain differences while becoming angry and condescending if you even suggest that discrimination could be a factor. But these people are wrong. This data shows they are wrong.
Despite what Einstein may have advised a girl looking to go into science, a new study demonstrates the persistent gender bias amongst science faculty, thwarting a truly equal opportunity.
As Scientific American’s Ilana Yurkiewicz puts it, “This is really important. This is really important.” Read it.
Roominate – a new line of dollhouses for girls aims to spark interest in science, technology, and STEM rather than reinforcing the gender stereotypes of traditional toys. The startup comes from three female engineers.
(↬ Springwise)
His And Hers Colors by artist and scientist Stephen Von Worley depicts the 2,000 most commonly-used color names by gender, based on the results of XKCD’s color name survey.
It has to do with adaptability. Women, Rosin argues, are like immigrants who have moved to a new country. They see a new social context, and they flexibly adapt to new circumstances. Men are like immigrants who have physically moved to a new country but who have kept their minds in the old one. They speak the old language. They follow the old mores. Men are more likely to be rigid; women are more fluid.
This theory has less to do with innate traits and more to do with social position. When there’s big social change, the people who were on the top of the old order are bound to cling to the old ways. The people who were on the bottom are bound to experience a burst of energy. They’re going to explore their new surroundings more enthusiastically.
Distribution of sexes in the 1880 census – black represents men, red women.
