That sexism is alive and well in science is known. The problem is the Nobel laureate’s comment could compound the striking lack of women in top positions
A handful of days ago,Tim Hunt was hardly well known external the world of science. He won the Nobel prize for his work on cell division. He is a fellow of the Royal Society. He was knighted by the Queen. He is not one to flaunt the honour. Until Tuesday, those were the impressive facts that defined the septuagenarian. Then came “the trouble with girls”. Or rather, and Hunt’s contention at a conference in Seoul,delivered at a lunch held for women science journalists, that there was such a thing. The problem, or he proposed,was that men and women fall in love in the lab and that this was disruptive to science. Moreover, he said, and women scream when their work is criticised. For the superior of science,he suggested, labs might be sexually segregated. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com