Society has made smart women the exception. We are required to be good little house wives with no more ambitions in life than to model, dance, act, or design clothing. Oh yes, colleges are littered with women business majors, general education, nursing, and psychology; however how many physics majors? How many are chemistry? Math? More importantly, how many women FINISH in those fields? Unfortunately peoples view of women are skewed by hollywood. People tend to think that all women are meant to be pretty, can perform menial tasks, and make a man's life easier. As Paris Hilton once said, "I don't think, I just walk." I do not condone her, I just would rather not have any aspect of my life compared to her
When you think of physics what are the first thoughts that run through your head? Einstein? Newton? Men. Do you think of Marie Curie? She was exceptional, she won a prize for both physics and chemistry in 1903 and 1911.
I am currently a duel math and physics major at the University of Reno, Nevada. I have found that I am treated differently from my male peers. The totum pole swings a little far away from me. I see how my professors talk to the males in my class, they are actually interested in what they are doing in school. When I talk to my professors I tend be met with amusement and disbelief.
Recently I was at dinner with my friend Tyler at his posh country club. We ended up having dinner with a couple of gentlemen members and their trophy wives. As we sat around and chatted they asked Tyler what he was studying, it just so happens he is a physics major as well. The men told him good luck with his endeavors and that he will do well in the field. The wives didn't say much, they were too busy cackling among themselves about hair products. The attention was turned to me, and they men asked me what I was studying, when I informed them, they had the audacity to inform me that I shouldn't waste my life in such a male dominated field. They informed me I was too "pretty" and I should leave the science up to men. I was completely flabbergasted. I knew that these sentiments existed, however I had no idea that somebody would actually voice those opinions to me.
It is rather ridiculous how hard I have had to work to earn my professors respect. I spend ten times more time to get the same privlidges that they offer a male student in one day. I am disgusted with society and the fact that if a women is intelligent, people make it sound as though it is a rare thing. Something needs to change in society today. I just don't exactly know how to change the tables.
Smart Women? The exception
By cel746 - Posted on March 30th, 2008
Ugh, how dare they tell you what to do! That's so...sexist and ignorant. I hate people like that.
My somewhat-related peeve is when people tell me to marry for money. I will NOT marry someone because they are rich. I don't care about money. I do however care about loving the person, and that should be the first criteria if you ask me.
I do a lot of "boy" stuff, and maybe that's because I live with my dad. I've gone to races and monster truck shows and when I was little I had the Creeply Crawler bug maker and the Easy Bake oven. By this point, it should be a given that girls are allowed to do boys things.
~ *~
Visit my blog! I'll even provide a link for ya:
Comments are always appreciated! :)
As a man, I must admit that I cannot identify with your situation. But in lieu of empathy, I can sympathize, and I agree that what you express is a sad thing indeed. I am a person who values intelligence in people generally, and while intelligent women are the exception, as you say, they make a sublime exception. At the risk of exposing my testosterone-driven maleness, I will say that nothing is sexier in a woman than brains. Biology, math, physics, that's the stuff that makes me excited in a partner.
What we need are more smart female roll-models that young girls can look up to. Ayla from Clan of the Cave Bear (the book, not the movie) and Ellie from Contact (the book and the movie) are two of my favorites. But let's face it: brainy women won't sell products to impressionable teenage girls in our current society; slim-waisted, big-breasted ditzes will.
I would also like to offer another opinion: smart women are only exceptional when we limit ourselves to a definition of "smart" that uses modern academics as a standard. There are many avenues for intelligence that do not involve the collegiate life, and many women express their intelligence in these other regions of their experience. But because we (as a society) don't incorporate those into our understanding of what "smart" is, their smartness goes unnoticed.
My advice to you is to develop the mentality of a sacrificial pioneer. Someone has to start building the numbers of female physicists and mathematicians, and it may well be you. The sad thing is you may not see the fruits of your labor extend to society's general perception in your lifetime. I do not wish to imply that the onus of change is entirely on women's shoulders, however. Men must also force a change. Statistically, women with your traits and men with my traits are apparently rare. But if we represent ourselves and stand up for our belief in this, we can slowly affect the people around us.
One of my best friends double majored in Math and Spanish. Not only did she complete both degrees, she did it in only 3 1/2 years, with honors. The only reason she walked the stage after 4 years instead of the 3 1/2 is because she was doing study abroad in Spain her last semester and, after her required credits were completed, she decided to take a bunch of electives so she could extend her study abroad by a semester.
Another friend of mine is finishing her degree in Chemistry right now, with honors, and recently defended some impressive research thesis I don't really understand. She's starting grad school next semester for another Chemistry-related degree.
I have a tendency to think I'm pretty intelligent as well, but I'm biased. ;-)
It is completely ridiculous that you should have to earn someone's respect. Especially a professor's, especially your own professor.
I just wanted to let you know it's not like that everywhere. And smart women is not a rare occurence. I hate people, and even I know of at least the 2 I've mentioned. More even. If it's going to interfere with your education, you can always transfer to ASU in Tempe, AZ. They tend to take serious majors seriously there. Even us female students.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/sawaboof
"...There is a crushing guilt that comes with being a Catholic. Whether things are good or bad or you're simply... eating tacos in the park, there is always the crushing guilt."
-30 Rock-
Its not so much that women are intelligent, that they are. My best friend is currently a biochem major which is like speaking a foreign language to me. My school is ranked pretty high in the physics department as well as my dad has cancer so I don't exactly want to leave yet. My goal is to attend MIT or Caltech for grad school.
I have learned that I have to work a little bit harder to earn my professors respect in academia, however when I do earn it they never forget. It just irritates me that there are men out there who think that they are smarter than women, or a woman can not measure up to what a man does.
A man scientist is more likely to hit the news stand for a break through than a women. I read an article the other day about how a woman and a man can have the same IQ, the same educational background and go up for a job in the science world; the man would win out. Its not like that everywhere, but as a woman, I know that we have to work harder and we have a little more to prove. Unfortunately that is what society throws at us.
It is highly amusing to me because men say that they prefer a pretty woman with intelligence over one without, however if that woman is smarter than them they lose interest because its almost as if its a threat to their male masculinity. Not all men are like that, but a great deal are.
My friends boyfriend informed me that he thinks that men are smarter than women and that I am an exception. It completely disgusts me that a lot of males share this sentiment. I don't think he realizes that woman does not have to better in science or math, there are so many other fields out there that we excel at.
\I am not saying that women are not smart, I am saying that men look down upon a female who is brilliant because for them it takes them out of their comfort zone.
Thank you for your comment, I will be sure to check out your blog.