Stanford neurobiologist Ben Barres has a unique perspective on gender discrimination in the math and science field.
An F2M transsexual who used to be Barbara Barres,
he said his experience as both a man and a woman had given him an intensely personal insight into the biases that make it harder for women to succeed in science
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It's a real life laboratory experiment, where the difference wrought by changing only a single factor can be observed. Ben Barres is still the same person with the identical brain, talents, education, personality, and everything -- but how different his experience is now than when he was Barbara! They use identical-twin studies to try to sort out innate from environmental influences, but how much better when it's the very same individual with only one factor changed. ("...but then, his work is so much better than his sister's"!! And the specific "better" work being referred to was done by Barbara!!)
Barres's situation is very similar to that of John Howard Griffin in Black Like Me. (If you haven't read that, I encourage you to -- and get Josie to read it if you think ( ... )
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I can verify from the biased point of view that this is all true. I've worked in an academic scientific environment my entire adult life so far, and have seen the attitudes and discrimination and ugly behavior to go with it. The first year I worked here, I helped run a conference on Women in Astronomy, to try to help raise awareness and help the situation, but honestly I haven't seen much different in 15 years.
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