Before I start: See that link above here that says Vote for DebraJean! Well click on it and vote for her, dammit! We now return to our regularly scheduled programming, already in progress:
It seems like it's been forever since I've updated my journal. I'm ridiculously busy right now - I have my grant resubmission due on August 5th and I'm woefully unprepared for it (ie. still doing experiments as I'm writing this that I need to include in the grant.) Which sucks. In addition to that, the kid who I tutor is back from Monaco for a week (yeah, tough summer, I haven't told him about how I used to wash dishes in a restaurant in the summer) and his asshole parents want me to come and teach him all of physics in a week. Yeah, that's realistic. So I'm doing that every night after I get out of
the lab. And of course, we had our departmental "retreat" last weekend, which meant that I couldn't work on my grant or have any fun.
Anyway, the retreat was OK, too many lectures and not enough poster presentations. There were 31 lectures in two and a half days, which was draining. There was one in particular that got me thinking though. This young woman chemistry professor, talking about her fancy new bio-lab system where she's designed her own genetic code along with an in vitro translation system that allows her to coopt the protein-making machinery in cells and get it to custom make molecules of her own design. Pretty damned impressive stuff, I have to say. but that's not what I'm writing about. I'm writing about the fact that she's a huge bitch.
During her lecture, one of my friends wrote me a note saying that she had a reputation for being a slave driver and an asshole. I told that it seemed to come off that way just in her demeanor. Which is true, I had been thinking that already. What I want to know is - in order for a woman to be competitive in a male dominated field (like science, which at the top is made of primarily of men) does she need to assume an overly aggressive posture to ensure that she isn't taken advantage of? Obviously there will always be some exceptions to any rule, and I know some amazingly friendly women who are successful in science. But on the whole, at least anecdotally I'd say that many of the more high profile female scientists have... less than friendly personalities. Not that most of the men are much better, but I think our society tends to forgive that sort of behavior in men more than it does in women. Assholes guys can be perceived as being "competitive," "bold," and "a leader" while similar women more often end up with the monikers "bitch," "shrew" and "domineering."
The problem is, of course, that the traditional career path leading to success in science (and many other fields) doesn't leave a whole lot of room for those who like to take a more leisurely pace in life and enjoy themselves. The constant competition and (somewhat unnecessary and wasteful) races to get things done first are breeding grounds for assholes. The fact that the women who make it through this filtering system are obnoxious is more a reflection on the system itself than the women who participate in it. And I suppose, the fact that it's more noticeable that the women are obnoxious than the men is a reflection on our culture as a whole. Maybe it's just more acceptable in general for a guy to act like a jerk and step on others to get what he wants than for a woman? Tha seems like a plausible explanation. Any other ideas?
It seems like it's been forever since I've updated my journal. I'm ridiculously busy right now - I have my grant resubmission due on August 5th and I'm woefully unprepared for it (ie. still doing experiments as I'm writing this that I need to include in the grant.) Which sucks. In addition to that, the kid who I tutor is back from Monaco for a week (yeah, tough summer, I haven't told him about how I used to wash dishes in a restaurant in the summer) and his asshole parents want me to come and teach him all of physics in a week. Yeah, that's realistic. So I'm doing that every night after I get out of
the lab. And of course, we had our departmental "retreat" last weekend, which meant that I couldn't work on my grant or have any fun.
Anyway, the retreat was OK, too many lectures and not enough poster presentations. There were 31 lectures in two and a half days, which was draining. There was one in particular that got me thinking though. This young woman chemistry professor, talking about her fancy new bio-lab system where she's designed her own genetic code along with an in vitro translation system that allows her to coopt the protein-making machinery in cells and get it to custom make molecules of her own design. Pretty damned impressive stuff, I have to say. but that's not what I'm writing about. I'm writing about the fact that she's a huge bitch.
During her lecture, one of my friends wrote me a note saying that she had a reputation for being a slave driver and an asshole. I told that it seemed to come off that way just in her demeanor. Which is true, I had been thinking that already. What I want to know is - in order for a woman to be competitive in a male dominated field (like science, which at the top is made of primarily of men) does she need to assume an overly aggressive posture to ensure that she isn't taken advantage of? Obviously there will always be some exceptions to any rule, and I know some amazingly friendly women who are successful in science. But on the whole, at least anecdotally I'd say that many of the more high profile female scientists have... less than friendly personalities. Not that most of the men are much better, but I think our society tends to forgive that sort of behavior in men more than it does in women. Assholes guys can be perceived as being "competitive," "bold," and "a leader" while similar women more often end up with the monikers "bitch," "shrew" and "domineering."
The problem is, of course, that the traditional career path leading to success in science (and many other fields) doesn't leave a whole lot of room for those who like to take a more leisurely pace in life and enjoy themselves. The constant competition and (somewhat unnecessary and wasteful) races to get things done first are breeding grounds for assholes. The fact that the women who make it through this filtering system are obnoxious is more a reflection on the system itself than the women who participate in it. And I suppose, the fact that it's more noticeable that the women are obnoxious than the men is a reflection on our culture as a whole. Maybe it's just more acceptable in general for a guy to act like a jerk and step on others to get what he wants than for a woman? Tha seems like a plausible explanation. Any other ideas?
VIEW 25 of 33 COMMENTS
I think I had a bigger reputation in social work for being a bitch because I wasn't all soft and fuzzy. I have a very strict work ethic and insist on a level of integrity from my co-workers.
I've actually found that men, when I'd have to deal with them, would be much more responsive to that than the women I worked with. I don't allow bullshit and I think they appreciated that. (social workers can be very wishy-washy)
Now...I'm surrounded by boys and men...and I think the same kind of thing applies at first. I'm actually quite easy going...right up until you slack off or don't show me the respect I deserve. At which point I will let you know that you have crossed a line somewhere...and that while we're all casual, fine and good, I'm the fucking boss.
So long as we're understood...we're back to casual, fine and good. Meaning, don't misunderstand my easygoingness as weakness.
I suspect I could run into a bad reputation for being a bitch in this field...with some people...the ones who don't show me respect. But generally, the number of people who DO respect me is higher than those who don't. And it ends up being THOSE guys who develop the bad reputation for being assholes.
Or maybe, it's just 'cuz I'm a very likable bitch?