You mean demonstrate the natural diversity of woman and scientist?  It's a radical departure. ;)

I've recently been chatting with some people about the pink thing (prompted by a monstrous display from the Early Learning Centre - a pink street of pop up tent boutiques, bakeries and sweet shops) and wondered if making pink labs, pink barrister dress-up, etc would challenge this awful gender stereotyping (or rather gender limiting); fighting pink with pink.  This seems to link a little.  Does the 'pink' scientist sell science to girls?  Perhaps not based on this blog.  Or perhaps this is age dependent.  I don't recall where we stand on the timing of the female exodus from science, is it primary or secondary?  Perhaps the girly pink scientist might sell to young people (Nina from Nina and the Neurons has bunches and is quite feminine) but a more realistic approach is needed for teens?  I wonder.

I've no case in point, I had no scientist role models influencing my decision to go into science, male or female, girly or otherwise.

Pam

From: psci-com: on public engagement with science [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Emily Pritchard
Sent: 18 June 2012 13:10
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Female role model research

It looks very interesting. I don't think an either/or approach works really. Obviously we want to use female scientists as role models, to demonstrate to girls that science is for them too, but the question is, who do we use?

This study shows that using too attractive or girly scientists alienates those who cannot aspire to being attractive or girly. But then, if we only use unfemimine women, surely we're reinforcing the old stereotype that science is only really for boys, and if girls want to go into science they're going to have to give up on being feminine. I think it's pretty sad that one of the posters in the comments section says that in order to be taken seriously as a scientist she has had to stop wearing make-up, and all people seem to see are blonde hair and boobs. As much as we need to be telling girls that they can be scientists, we also need to be telling scientists that a pair of tits and a bit of slap does not an idiot make (at least the woman herself, it might turn the men looking at her into gibbering idiots).

So maybe we need to present a mix: a variety of female scientists, some in skirts and some in trousers, some fully made-up and some fresh-faced, some in dark muted colours, and some in bright colourful prints and patterns, some chatting about their adventures out hillwalking, some about their World of Warcraft avatar, some about their pets and some about their latest sewing project. Because what we're trying to say, to both scientists and girls, is that women are scientists, and they are good scientists, whatever they look like, whatever their interests outside of science. That means any girl, if she has the aptitude, can be a scientist, and every female researcher should be taken seriously in her role.

Those are my thoughts anyway

Emily

********************************************************************** Further information about the psci-com discussion list, including list archive, can be found at the list web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/psci-com.html You may also change your settings and subscribe/unsubscribe to psci-com from the web site.