Tim Hunt – ScienceGrrl responds
Sir Tim Hunt (photo by Masur, Wikimedia Commons)
For the last week, discussions around women in science in the UK have largely centred on remarks made on Monday 8th June by Sir Tim Hunt, at the World Conference of Science Journalism, as part of a speech he gave during a lunch sponsored by female Korean scientists and engineers: “Let me tell you my trouble with girls: 3 things happen when they are in the lab – you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them, they cry”
Sir Tim, a Nobel Laureate and Fellow of the Royal Society, then went on to recommend single-sex laboratories as a solution to these problems.
Here at ScienceGrrl we were dismayed that an eminent and influential scientist would make such comments (however they were intended), and particularly in front of an audience that would ensure they received international attention.
Our Directors responded to Sir Tim’s remarks with a brief riposte to end an article in theYorkshire Post (by Dr Heather Williams) and a more in-depth reflection for BBC News magazine (by Dr Anna Zecharia) on Thursday 11th June.
At ScienceGrrl we feel it is vital to frame gender inequality in science and engineering within a social context, and tackle it as such. As we reported last year, many young women still feel science is not for people like them.
When such remarks are left unchallenged, it only perpetuates a cultural legacy that we are all working hard to change.
We hope that if there is a silver lining to this debacle, it is that more considered attention is focused on addressing these deeper inequalities.
To set these responses in context, we’ve listed the major developments in this story below. The links are in chronological order.
Sir Tim Hunt FRS and UCL – UCL press release regarding resignation, Wednesday 10th June
Female scientists post ‘distractingly sexy’ photos – BBC, Thursday 11th June
The unseen women scientists behind Tim Hunt’s Nobel prize – Guardian, Friday 12th June