Comments on: Better a John than a Jennifer

By: Interactions: The Lab Lives of #WomenInScience | Altmetric.com

Interactions: The Lab Lives of #WomenInScience | Altmetric.com — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 17:42:55 +0000

[...] By sharing the Moss-Racusin et al. article, online users (mainly from the general public and the scientific community) have likely drawn much more attention to the issues faced by women in STEM fields than would have been possible through the academic journal alone. The article, made freely available to all, created a greater opportunity to advocate online for the elimination of gender bias in science. Influential blog posts at Discover Magazine, Scientific American, and Smithsonian spread the word to their readers, collectively garnering hundreds of comments from visitors of all genders and backgrounds. Independent bloggers also chimed in, with notable posts from Uncommon Ground, Uncertain Principles, and Ecological Society of America. [...]

By: "Jennifer"

"Jennifer" — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 21:17:44 +0000

I am proud to say that I was just hired as a research scientist for my home state. Conducting hydrological monitoring that crosses bridges of many areas of ecological research and chemistry. I am a “Jennifer” and I have worked extremely hard through all of my degrees. I am currently a masters degree student and I will be graduating in January with an MS in Biology. I am happy to say that I have a secure and permanent research position doing exactly what I want to do with the flexibility to work on projects that interest me; I could not ask to be in a better position. The job I applied for had over 400 applicants and I had originally applied for a lower position as a technician. However, after reviewing my resume I was selected to be interviewed for the permanent, higher salary position. My interview went well even though I was the only applicant still in school without a masters degree (yet) and I was hired the following week. That being said, I felt extremely nervous about my future prospects of finding a job before graduation. Considering the current economy and reduced funding,times are tough for researchers. I feel bad for the many students like myself that spent thousands on a college education and are unable to find careers that match their particular skill set. I personally had considered finding waitressing jobs after getting a masters degree in order to off set some of my costs.

By: Karre

Karre — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:05:19 +0000

I hear men in science say things about faculty such as “she only got the job because she’s a lesbian women” or “she got the job because she’s a hispanic female.” To these men i want to say what does this study demonstrate about what you’ve “earned?” I don’t mean to discount the hard work and innate talent of many successful men but, at the same time, i don’t think it hurts any of us to think a little about the privilege we are afforded because of our sex, skin color, socioeconomic class etc. And while these studies found a way to point out biases in hiring practices, what about how these biases play out after someone has already been hired or as one fights to make or maintain his/her career??