Luck out
I like going to talks about "women in the sciences". Not because I'm a hardcore feminist who is sure that men are out to get me and I need validation for my beliefs, but because they often have interesting insights into decisions women make that set them back.
There's the fact that women don't collaborate or network as much as men- seeing it as pointless bullshit. Of course it's bullshit, but it isn't pointless. It's easier to get along in your field with help and connections wherever you work.
And women are terrible about reading unwritten rules. One is about how damned pushy you have to be. Women would often get paid less then men because they asked for raises less often. They don't know instinctively as well as men do that you have to badger people for money, and women just want to let their work speak for itself. Also, they will not plan things as certainly into the future. The path I see myself in grad school is more common for females- I did well in college, liked the subject well enough, and decided to go into grad school, hoping something would open up. A job is something that I will eventually get, but I'm not even sure what I want to do yet. Men, on the other hand see -*goal*- and work towards it. Grad school is just a tool for them to use for that goal.
It helps to know this so that I can see if I'm doing these things, which may hurt me. I know they are gross stereotypes, and don't put much stock into them if I don't see it happening. I think it would be good for men and women to see this, so everybody knows what to do and what to avoid for a good career path.
Apparently I am doing one thing right- I am currently dating the "perfect" husband material for a female scientist. The speaker I saw today kind of spelled it out: guys are better husband material if they are younger and have a more mobile career. Many women are set back due to marrying older men who get faculty positions or other job-related positions earlier, so the women have very limited choices about post-doc positions. It kind of sucks. There are real reasons women might not do as well as men, and it very rarely, nowadays, boils down to men actively disliking women and keeping them down. Often the choices women make will hurt them, and maybe it's a culture thing and maybe things can be changed to help them. But I wouldn't count on it changing. More openness about how it works, however, would do the most to help.
I think.
There's the fact that women don't collaborate or network as much as men- seeing it as pointless bullshit. Of course it's bullshit, but it isn't pointless. It's easier to get along in your field with help and connections wherever you work.
And women are terrible about reading unwritten rules. One is about how damned pushy you have to be. Women would often get paid less then men because they asked for raises less often. They don't know instinctively as well as men do that you have to badger people for money, and women just want to let their work speak for itself. Also, they will not plan things as certainly into the future. The path I see myself in grad school is more common for females- I did well in college, liked the subject well enough, and decided to go into grad school, hoping something would open up. A job is something that I will eventually get, but I'm not even sure what I want to do yet. Men, on the other hand see -*goal*- and work towards it. Grad school is just a tool for them to use for that goal.
It helps to know this so that I can see if I'm doing these things, which may hurt me. I know they are gross stereotypes, and don't put much stock into them if I don't see it happening. I think it would be good for men and women to see this, so everybody knows what to do and what to avoid for a good career path.
Apparently I am doing one thing right- I am currently dating the "perfect" husband material for a female scientist. The speaker I saw today kind of spelled it out: guys are better husband material if they are younger and have a more mobile career. Many women are set back due to marrying older men who get faculty positions or other job-related positions earlier, so the women have very limited choices about post-doc positions. It kind of sucks. There are real reasons women might not do as well as men, and it very rarely, nowadays, boils down to men actively disliking women and keeping them down. Often the choices women make will hurt them, and maybe it's a culture thing and maybe things can be changed to help them. But I wouldn't count on it changing. More openness about how it works, however, would do the most to help.
I think.