Message-Id: <l03102800b0963215270c@[153.90.236.25]>
In-Reply-To: <971114234601_-1709887622@mrin85.mail.aol.com>
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 11:00:24 -0700
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
From: Steven Eiger <eiger@montana.edu>
Subject: Re: More on gender!!
Neil, I can not seem to discuss this topic without getting myself in
trouble. It is such a tender issue that comments are often reacted to. I
agree with your ideas about listening to women and can not argue with our
history being shaped by men. I also think I expressed that society's
values etc. affect women strongly. I spoke of this under TV, family
values, popular culture. I just think that it may be that when I see 50%
women in my medical school class year after year, and the engineering
school does not, that it may be genetic. As long as the engineering school
makes it comfortable for women to be there (and I know they do not now)
then that school has done it's job. Where I live, there seems to be a
strong interest in wanting women to stay home and I think that is where the
problem lies. I also believe that the prejudice against women in some
programs is on the order of tall vs short people, the real prejudice comes
from family and friends. Now we in school ought to counter this, but we
first ought to identify what the real negative influences are and where
they come from, I think it is from non-school culture. Do you think we
should make a law that every program should have equal numbers of men and
women? Many do. I am trying to temper those folks whom I consider on the
fringe and really have no argument, in fact have very much enjoyed the
letters criticizing my notes. Eiger