Ramblings on Women in Science

I recently gave a talk at Maker Faire KC discussing inspiring girls and women in the STEM fields (STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math, by the way).  In looking up a couple things on the web, I realized that there are very few female science communicators out there who enjoy the same worldwide exposure as, say, Neil deGrasse Tyson or Brian Cox.

Ignoring the similar observation about female scientists' recognition, I cannot help to ask why are popularized science communicators overall male?  It is not like men are better at explanations than women, or that no female scientist is interested in going on TV to explain scientific discoveries and theories.  It seems to me to be a remnant of a past version of society where men were viewed as the only ones who could effectively follow the intellectual pathway of science.  It is almost like broadcast executives are thinking, "A man is the only one who people will believe when it comes to explaining the science we want to explore."

But is that really true?  Will people only believe a man when it comes to science?  In some cases, sadly, yes.  Some people (often older men in my experience) will not believe that a woman is explaining science to them correctly.  However, those people are becoming few and far between.  And there are certainly lots of older men I have encountered who will listen to a female scientist without a problem!  So why are we still functioning as if our society still holds true to the belief that women cannot do science when it comes to science communication?

I honestly do not know.  There are a lot of women trying to reverse this trend by communicating science as best we can.  After all, as more and more women communicate the tenets and new discoveries of science, technology, engineering, and math, the odds of a female becoming a science communicator with worldwide popularity goes up.

Just a little ramble on women communicating science for you as I continue to read through the latest issues of earth science journals and general science news.  A post on science is coming soon!

(And do not even get me started on the lack of communication skills within the scientific community to explain their findings effectively to a general audience without playing fast and loose with science and probability!)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!