Eunjung Lee prepares growth factors at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York.
Kevin Hagen for The New York Times
The Nobel laureate Tim Hunt was widely ridiculed, and had to resign an honorary professorship, after calling female scientists overly emotional and a romantic distraction.
Is such quick denunciation a sign of progress in a field traditionally known for its sexism? Or does the laureate’s casual misogyny show that gender discrimination persists?
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Sexist Image Is Wrong
Tim Hunt speaks for a vanishing minority — as is shown by the national data on women in science, which reveal sustained progress.
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Bias Is Systemic
Katherine W. Phillips, Columbia University
Bias begins before women show up in the lab. Since they are less likely to pursue sciences, they face a male-dominated field when they enter.
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Not a Sign of Real Progress
Kyla McMullen, computer science professor
The resignation of Tim Hunt only sends the message that sexist men should hold their tongues, not change their beliefs.
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Things Have Gotten, and Are Getting, a Lot Better
Maria Klawe, Harvey Mudd College
Recruiting female faculty and students in sciences is often a priority. Female department chairs are no longer strange anomalies.
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Women Feel the Bias in Their Labs
Laura Sherbin, Center for Talent Innovation
Gender bias is a big reason nearly a third of women in science, engineering and technology say they are likely to quit within a year.
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A Few Bad Guys Can Cause a Lot of Harm
Mary Beth Ruskai, Retired mathematician
When sexism does not sink to the level of Hunt's remarks, it is often ignored at the expense of aspiring young women.