Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 07:58:58 -0800
Message-Id: <v02140b01b0849519c78f@[136.152.2.65]>
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
From: suzanna@seismo.berkeley.edu (suzanna loper)
Subject: Re: discrimination
Interesting. In my department, the opposite has happened: all the
physics, chemistry and physical science teachers (total of 7) are women,
and all the biology and physiology teachers (total of 4) are men. I was
kind of surprised by this when I started teaching there, since this is very
different from the distribution of men and women in biology, chemistry and
physics departments at universities. However, someone pointed out to me
that it may still fit with the problem of limited representation of women
in the physical sciences: maybe men with physics or chemistry degrees are
more likely to continue in research rather than become teachers, and women
with physics or chemistry degrees are more likely to teach. Or maybe this
is just a random effect at my school.
Also interesting is that all of the men are white, but the women
science teachers are relatively diverse [5/7 are women of color]. This
makes the science department more diverse than the school in general, which
I think has a pretty large majority of white teachers, which also goes
opposite the trend in science research that people of color are
underrepresented.
So? Who knows?
Suzy Loper
>Has anyone else out there experienced discrimination in class assignments
>in science departments? For instance, the men in the department taking
>all of the physics and chemistry classes, leaving the woman with the
>physical science classes (even though the woman is more qualified)?
>
>If you have any advice, I would appreciate hearing from you. Thanks, gang!!
Suzy Loper
suzanna@seismo.berkeley.edu
suzyl@socrates.berkeley.edu (not yet functioning)