..reads the title of a terrific post by Jamie Vernon--one of the few men who attended the packed event I moderated last week on Capitol Hill about Advancing Women in Science sponsored by L'Oreal and Discover Magazine. Jamie did an excellent job summarizing many of the key points discussed and adds his own perspective as well. Here's an excerpt:
As the women panelists discussed the topics on the agenda, I began to realize that the success of women in science is not just a women’s issue. It’s an American issue. It became apparent that America is surely missing out on some significant scientific minds. These minds and their potential contributions to the world of science belong to women who have been driven out of science simply because they wish to fulfill the duty that only women can fulfill: motherhood. Seemingly, the most significant distinction between women and men is woman’s ability to bring life into this world. And, unfortunately, the demands of that job can be just too much for today’s scientific lifestyle. So, for the sake of humanity, many women are forced to make the choice to leave the field of science. And when you consider the women sitting on this panel; Pr. Sara Seager, Ellen Swallow Richards, Professor of Planetary Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pr. Joan Steitz, Sterling Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, Dr. Shirley Malcom, Head of Education and Human Resources, American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS), Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, it quickly becomes evident that when a woman chooses to leave the field of science, she takes with her all the potential for solving scientific problems that make her such an asset to the profession. It is not simply an issue of losing brain power. It is also a problem of losing diversity within the problem-solving community. Dr. Steitz emphasized that women bring diverse points of view to science. Not retaining that diversity diminishes our potential for curing diseases, developing new technologies and ending global climate change. Among the statistics presented by Russlynn Ali that demonstrated a pattern of female attrition from science was the clear message that women just don’t feel comfortable enough in our current scientific community. Not only, is this an issue of fairness, it is also an issue of global competitiveness. In a world in which China and India are creating many more scientists and engineers yearly than America, we will eventually fall behind. One way we can increase our ability to compete is to encourage women to participate in the sciences. Dr. Seager proposed the first solution to these problems, stating that this is not an issue of competency for girls, but confidence. Young girls are capable of learning science and thinking scientifically, but they are discouraged from pursuing science at the earliest ages. Something must be done to turn this around. This will require changes that invite women into the sciences. Dr. Seager’s solution is to develop mentorships that support young women as they make the decision to become scientists. It will require understanding and guidance to build within them the confidence they need to join with the boys.
It's a long and thoughtful recap with a lot of important ideas taken further than we had time to explore last Thursday. I encourage everyone to go read Jamie's full post...
