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blackraven
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What is the sexism in physics field like? I heard there's a lot of sexism in the field.
most of the girls I've met who have complained about sexism have been the ones who went out of their way to make themselves look more provocative (and the ones that go overboard with the 'im one of the guys' carry on).
genericusrnme said:As a short anecdote, most of the girls I've met who have complained about sexism have been the ones who went out of their way to make themselves look more provocative (and the ones that go overboard with the 'im one of the guys' carry on).
MathematicalPhysicist said:I guess that if more women will get interested in academic life in the sciences we'll see a different attitude, and it won't surprise anyone.
king vitamin said:Of course, I hope you realize that the problem isn't that women aren't interested in getting into academic life, but that there's innate institutionalized sexism that should be actively fought against. A comment like "good for you!" that's motivated by the sex of who you're talking is offensive, period.
king vitamin said:I've heard a lot of complaints from women where I just graduated (undergrad) about communicating with professors/students and being ignored in a group conversation, and feeling helpless due to their sex. I personally found it to be a "boy's club" and really didn't enjoy some of the conversations my fellow male physicists had that I found really sexist.
king vitamin said:I've also heard women I know outside of physics tell me that they were discouraged from mathematical sciences in middle/high school by counselors/teachers from what they perceived to be a gender bias.
eri said:When meeting an older, male member of the engineering faculty, he asked me what I was teaching. When I told him 'physics', he said 'Wow! Good for you!' He probably didn't realize it was pretty insulting. He certainly didn't react like that when he met the new male engineer I was walking around with. I'm sure he thought he was being the opposite of sexist.
ParticleGrl said:But anyway, in my opinion the sexism in physics exists, and it ranges from subtle to fairly ridiculous. Some of it is intentional, but quite a lot is the result of an institutional culture that developed largely in the absence of women (i.e. its very, very hard to have a kid at any point before tenure and stay in the field.
ParticleGrl said:I've had childless women professors tell me they wish they had frozen their eggs)
king vitamin said:I've heard a lot of complaints from women where I just graduated (undergrad) about communicating with professors/students and being ignored in a group conversation, and feeling helpless due to their sex.
king vitamin said:I've heard a lot of complaints from women where I just graduated (undergrad) about communicating with professors/students and being ignored in a group conversation, and feeling helpless due to their sex.
Zarqon said:Do you women here agree that there are these argumentation style differences?
NewtonianAlch said:Why not stop going on and on and on and on about it and just study it? If it's sexism today, it will be long beards and body odour tomorrow, just get on with it.
Rika said:Is that really sexism? o.o To tell you the truth I don't see sexism here.
king vitamin said:I've met a lot of people who express this sentiment. Also, by some enormous coincidence, they all happen to be straight white upper middle class males. Isn't that funny?
I noticed that you bolded the "good for you" quote without bolding my subsequent modifier "motivated by the sex of who you're talking to." Certainly this is the definition of sexism (eri mentioned that the speaker did not react with awe to the new male faculty member).
Nano-Passion said:P.S. The use of sexism to imply discrimination of women only and not men, is sexism in itself!
It is a very negative paradigm to carry along, and if minorities are to succeed-- they are less to worry about discrimination and more to worry about succeeding in their goal.
Well, this is not as clear as it looks like.king vitamin said:Oh please, of course sexism against men is a terrible thing and is something that should be disparaged and actively fought against when present. But sexism against men in academic physics is not a major societal problem. If I do see men being sexually harassed or belittled the next time I'm on campus I'll speak up! For some reason, this has happened exactly zero times.
mfb said:Well, this is not as clear as it looks like.
Situation: Two scientists did different, similar tasks with the same performance and report that in a meeting or whatever. Of course, the correct way of acknowledgment would be "same to both". But in reality, it can be a bit different, due to multiple reasons. As I did not specify the gender, the issue is clearly not gender-related at this point.
Now imagine the scientists are a woman and a man, and the woman gets less acknowledgment. I am sure some will complain about sexism.
Now imagine the scientists are a woman and a man, and the woman gets more acknowledgment. I am sure some will complain about sexism.
Obviously, the setup is symmetric. If one of them is sexism against women (why?), the other one should be sexism agains men, right? Which one?
Thus speaks the priviliged.Nano-Passion said:I dislike when people jump on the sexism bandwagon, it does not apply here. It is akin to other minorities who are led to believe that they are being discriminated against, only to lead to their own pitfall. It is a very negative paradigm to carry along, and if minorities are to succeed-- they are less to worry about discrimination and more to worry about succeeding in their goal. A good example of this is the other poster who complained that the other men do not pay attention to her in group discussions. The sexism bandwagon can hurt, because in this case it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. But someone who is more proactive would inspect the problem and look for a solution. (For example, is it the way I communicate?) You can blame it on sexism, or you can blame it on yourself. This could have also happened to a guy, blaming sexism is a cheap scapegoat.
P.S. The use of sexism to imply discrimination of women only and not men, is sexism in itself!
As of 2019, only 20% of physics bachelor's degrees, 18% of physics PhDs, and 11% of physics faculty positions in the United States are held by women. This underrepresentation of women in physics has been a long-standing issue, but efforts are being made to increase diversity and inclusion in the field.
Yes, there have been numerous studies and reports that show evidence of sexism in physics. Women are often paid less, receive less recognition for their work, and are less likely to be hired and promoted compared to their male counterparts. Additionally, women in physics often face gender-based discrimination and harassment.
Sexism can have a significant impact on the experiences and opportunities of women in physics. It can create a hostile work environment, lead to fewer opportunities for career advancement, and discourage women from pursuing careers in physics. This can ultimately contribute to the underrepresentation of women in the field.
There are several steps that can be taken to address sexism in physics, including promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives, implementing policies and training to prevent discrimination and harassment, providing mentorship and support for women in physics, and actively working to change the culture and attitudes within the field.
To encourage more women to pursue careers in physics, it is important to provide equal access to education and resources, combat gender stereotypes and biases, and showcase successful and diverse role models in the field. Creating a supportive and inclusive environment for women in physics can also help to attract and retain more women in the field.