At (almost) 50, I Can be Excused For Repeating Myself

At the risk of appearing to be obsessed with this subject, I must make one more entry about the now infamous remarks by the President of Harvard.

In stark contrast to Kathleen Parker's sarcastic editorial in The Orlando Sentinel supporting Summers, the editorial by chemist Mary Jo Egbert that appears in the March 9 edition of U.S. 1, clearly, concisely, and without a hint of Ms. Parker's sarcasm and emotionalism, debunks Summers' remarks.

Debunk is a mild word, as she points out that Summers and all his colleagues at the conference were well aware (or should have been aware) of the results of a 15 year study published in the March 2004 issue of Journal of Chemical Science. Titled "Achieving Gender Equity in Chemistry," it revealed two "clear reasons" for the lack of advancement of women in chemistry.

The first was the embedded practice of male mentors consistently supporting, promoting and hiring male scientists. The other was the fact that women in science often leave their career early because of the complicated combination of "family demands, unequal pay, discrimination and conditions of stagnated promotion" that the study authors described as "a climate that is chilling and isolating."

I don't see anything in those results that points to some kind of female genetic inaptitude. Now, I can possibly excuse journalists and reporters for not knowing about this study and its results, but not the President of Harvard. In light of this knowledge that was published months before his remarks, I can only conclude that he is either really out of touch with his profession, or deliberately ignored this research in favor of spewing his personal opinion.

If Ms. Egbert's piece becomes available online, I will post a link here. Meanwhile, those of you in the Princeton area of New Jersey, you can pick up the issue locally.