There was a time when people honestly thought that women didn't have the intelligence to be scientists and mathematicians. Those days are gone, so why is it that women still make up such a small percentage of scientists?
New research suggests a really sinister explanation. Many women go to graduate school, hoping to become scientists but, somewhere along the way, they are face sexual harassment that makes it difficult, if not impossible, to complete their degrees.
And it's not always as simple as a hostile work environment. The Atlantic recently reported on a woman who couldn't finish her degree because she wouldn't have sex with one of her professors. And a University of California, San Diego graduate dean notes that, in the field of gastroenterology, she doesn't know one female practitioner who hasn't experienced similar harassment.
Please join me in asking the United States Secretary of Education to initiate a nationwide survey by the United States Department of Education of Title IX compliance with respect to sexual and pregnancy harassment AND to craft policy recommendations to improve reporting and compliance.
Dear United States Secretary of Education:
It is appaling to learn that women are not going into science. And it's not that they don't have the stomach for hard facts, as many of us were taught growing up. It now appears that women don't become scientists because of sexual harassment by senior staff and professors who are supposed to be teaching the new generation of scientists. Far too much evidence suggests that male scientists are demanding a sexual tariff on their female graduate students. Those who comply get their degrees, but those who do not want to sleep with their profs get weeded out of the program. Meanwhile, science needs women. Women often see cooperative solutions where men only see aggressive solutions. You need to launch a full scale inquiry into this problem. Please initiate a nationwide survey by the United States Department of Education of Title IX compliance with respect to sexual and pregnancy harassment AND craft policy recommendations to improve reporting and compliance.
