Classroom Feminism

I forever find the divide between Arts and Letters and the College of Science fascinating.  Discussion-based classes versus lecture-based ones, textual analysis versus problem solving.

But nowhere more do I feel the divide more than when a “Big Issue” comes up in class.  Arts and Letters, particularly the English Department, is a bubble within the ND bubble.  Most of the class members aren’t blinking an eye at statements regarding things like feminism.

Maybe that’s why I was so surprised weeks ago when my professor in a Science, Technology, and Values class had a discussion of this problem about ignoring women in science. We spent one week only on each scientific issue, and I wondered if Gender and Science week had a lasting impression on the room of science majors who maybe don’t regularly discuss the Big Issues in class.

I’ve never been so glad to be wrong.

We all had the choice of any research project we could think of that related in some way to class.

For the last week, I have been watching my classmates’ presentations, and FIVE (including mine) focused on gender inequality in science.  I presented on day one, with the facts and some theories about the ridiculously disproportionate number of female Nobel Prize recipients.  I’ve told everyone I know about this, so if you ever want a rant about Rosalind Franklin being jipped, I’m your girl.  And, okay, sure, I got asked some kinda sexist questions by (male) classmates I respected, but the response of the girl who sat behind me made it worth it. She complimented my presentation, and got me to laugh at the fact that of course only guys asked questions at the end.  She then added a sobering story of the time she was told to go ‘wash the dishes’ in lab as pretty solid evidence for why my female classmates did not ask such questions.

The next presentation day, I heard from another classmate about her research into women in computer science, the stereotypes, and the problem of it being male-marketed.  I made sure to compliment her presentation, and discuss what I had observed in my coding class this semester. Another (male!) classmate presented on feminist and non-feminist groups of scientists researching divorce, and how they differed.  

The next brought two more topics, both fascinatingly specific and personal.  One presentation was a case study comparing ranking the happiness of young adults with braces that made some sexist and non-scientifically grounded points about women. My future-orthodontist classmate took issue with this. She told the class “It made me angry, so I had to academically refute it,” which she brilliantly did by incorporating the  sociological factors that disproportionately affect women. Another classmate had initially wanted to look at the inequality faced by female physicians in other countries, but when she discovered the major issues of unfair pay and sexual harassment still facing them here, she shifted her research trajectory.  This future-physician was able to show a room of mostly pre-med students the problems they will need to change when they enter the field.

I underestimated my classmates.  Even though every female science major I have met has been concerned about the sexism they would face in a STEM field, I just didn’t think it was the type of thing they frequently discussed.  They were willing to put their concerns about their fields out there, and then defend their perspective with studies and data.  Presenting is never the easiest thing in the world, but the more personal the issue the more passionate and powerful their presentations were.

Thanks for surprising me, science majors.  You’ve given me so much hope for the future of science.  I’ll be watching for your Nobel Prizes.

 

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