The panel, convened by the National Academy of Sciences, said that in an era of global competition the nation could not afford “such underuse of precious human capital.””
The State Of . . . Women in science. It is the 21st century and we still have this debate. And since we are perhaps it is time to look again at our basic assumptions. We have always assumed that women are not succeeding because of bias against them. The study backs this up. For instance, they found that when papers are submitted for review by journals, a larger percentage of women authored papers are accepted when the names are taken off. However, should women still expect to achieve an equal level of success at about the same time as a man? On average, I (rich) would say no. Child rearing plays a significant part in this. There is no doubt that women have the aptitude for such achievement in all areas but human nature can be a surmountable obstacle in any career. It is sometimes frustrating hearing women colleagues complain about the lack of part time options at some jobs. This may be a problem. But if a woman graduates at the same time as a male counterpart and decides to have two kids. They are going to miss at least a year out of the office. The male counterpart is working and gaining experience along the way. He should not be punished for this. I think we have to acknowledge the bias and shortcomings in the workplace when it comes to working moms. But, also, working moms should realize that they may be able to reach the same level as men, it just may take a bit longer.
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