Are Scientists People Like Us?

You know what science is. You know how people go about “doing science”. We all do. We picture the chemist in his lab with his test tubes, the physicist thinking about hard equations in front of his computer, the astronomer with his telescope, the biologist with his microscope. He’s featured extensively in the media, in everything from dishwashing detergent adverts to CSI. We think we know all we need to know about him, the scientist.

But we need to step back and reconsider what we think we know. For the great majority of us, the scientist is unquestionably a “him” – and a him with white skin, the ubiquitous white coat, and probably mad hair too (denoting an Einstein-like genius and disregard for the mundane everyday). Social scientists have been administering a “Draw-a-Scientist” test to elementary and middle school students since the early 1980s. In the first wave of experiments, all elementary school students proved extremely likely to draw exactly the typical scientist stereotype. More recently, middle school students, who are being educated in a more critical reading of the way the media functions, are dividing along gender lines: the boys draw a man, while the girls are more likely (though by no means 100%) to draw a woman. Adult stereotyping of scientists is just as prevalent, though the general attitude towards scientists as a group seems to be becoming more positive as time goes by. Ask yourself this: if you sat down to draw a scientist right now, what would your picture portray?

This stereotype persists even though the reality and portrayal of science changing, albeit slowly. More films and TV shows are including women in professional and scientific roles (sometimes even without the white coat), though recent research has revealed that female characters are still very likely to be sexualized or used in a storyline in a way that emphasizes their romantic desires or physical attributes rather then intelligence, education, or experience. Ms Frizzle, of The Magic School Bus, is a schoolteacher who glories in the possibilities of science and whose racially diverse, gender-balanced class gets to experience the wonders of scientific discovery first hand; yet she retains the stereotypical characteristics of a mad scientist who functions outside the everyday world. If Ms. Frizzle is a scientist, she is not one of us.

(References: Jane Butler Kahle in Gender Issues in Science Education (Curtin University of Technology, 1987).
J. Steinke, M. K. Lapinski, N. Crocker, A. Zietsman-Thomas, Y. Williams, S. H. Evergreen, and S. Kuchibhotla, Assessing Media Influences on Middle School Aged Children's Perceptions of Women in Science Using the Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST) Science Communication, September 1, 2007; 29(1): 35 - 64.
Losh, Susan. American Stereotypes about Scientists: Gender and Time Effects Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Montreal Convention Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Aug 10, 2006
Stacey L. Smith, unpublished research on gender in children’s TV and films for the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. http://www.thegeenadavisinstitute.org/research.php )

Thank goodness for Hermione

I promise no spoilers for any readers of the Harry Potter series who haven't finished Book 7 yet; but suffice it to say that the thinking and action of Hermione is very important to the outcome of the Potter series. I am delighted that my kids are reading a series with such strong female characters. There has been some criticism of the female characters in Harry Potter, but that criticism seems rather unfair to me. Who could say that Professor McGonegall, Mrs Weasley, Tonks, Fleur Delacourt, and Hermione are not strong, intelligent, brave women? And Ginny, Luna, and Hermione are there in the thick of the fighting in Book 5, as effective as any of the boys. Yes, Mrs Weasley is a homemaker but in the end (no comment allowed - spoiler)... Yes, Hermione is always the worrier who thinks about the worst possible outcomes, but isn't her decision to....(no, another potential spoiler). Even the evil Dolores Umbridge has her (twisted, sadistic) strong side.

My feeling is that Book 7 put the feminism firmly and centrally in the Harry Potter series. You'll have to read it to find out why.

There are lots of articles out there on the Potter websites about this issue. Here's a few chosen at random: You can start with this fan-written editorial on MuggleNet - http://www.mugglenet.com/editorials/editorials/edit-trixstar01.shtml
Then here's a short article setting out some of the pros and cons - http://atheism.about.com/od/harrypotter/i/women.htm
- and another about stereotypes particularly in the Order of the Phoenix - http://www.thefword.org.uk/reviews/2003/08/harry_potter_an.

No more on Harry Potter!

At the movies

Are you interested in how women and girls are portrayed in the movies? And how often they appear - or fail to appear - as significant characters?

Can't wait to see the new Harry Potter movie - I have to admit to being a HP fan, almost as keen as my kids. I wonder whether Hermione will have a strong role in this film? One of the things I found disappointing about the very first movie (Sorcerer's Stone) is that a key moment showing Hermione's intelligence and importance - when she solves the logic puzzle - was missed out.

Last week I saw "Ocean's Thirteen". Not bad, an old-fashioned heist movie. I thought the character played by Ellen Barkin was pretty interesting: good to see an older woman in a role where she is being authoritative as well as sexy (and not at all mumsy).

On the way into the movies, I took in posters for "The Comebacks" and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry". Neither are in the theaters here yet, so I haven't seen them, but the posters made me worried about them! "The Comebacks" showed a sexily clad woman bending over and peeping over her shoulder (oh come on you advertising geniuses, this is really lazy - and don't tell me it's some kind of humorous retro reference to Playboy) while I suspected that the Chuck/Larry film could just be cringe-worthy.... Well, we'll have to see.

The organization See Jane has produced some interesting work on how often G rated movies have female protagonists. Turns out that 75% of characters are male; and male and female characters are very likely to be portrayed in a gender-stereotyped way. Males are more likely to be aggressive, and less likely to be parents. Stereotypes about non-whites also abound, plus they are often the villains - and girls and non-whites are more likely to be comic relief or side-kicks. Take a look at the See Jane website for more info - www.seejane.org