“Queen of the Mantas” Andrea Marshall shares powerful insights into the subtle challenges facing women in the sciences.
Gender-related topics almost invariably come up when I talk about my work as a scientist. Conversations that start about my work with manta rays always seem to circle around to probing questions about the challenges of being a female researcher. I find people’s interest in this subject perplexing. Sure, being a field researcher is hard… but what does being a woman have to do with that? I fight the same defensive feeling when I see eyebrows raise upon learning that I am the CEO of an international conservation organisation... like for a moment they find this fact hard to believe. Have we seriously not moved past this?
While this line of questioning can sometimes get a bit tedious, I have started to reconcile myself to the fact that this issue is indeed important and worthy of addressing. The main reason for this conclusion is the hundreds, maybe thousands, of young girls that have contacted me throughout my career looking for advice – girls who see me as a role model, that aspire to have a career like mine, or that want to work in the field like I do; young women of all ages that are looking for recommendations or for advice; ones needing to hear first-hand that they can make it. Sometimes I can tell that they are looking to reassure themselves; others are looking for ways to assuage the fears of their family or friends. Strangely, I never get these kinds of letters/e-mail/questions from boys. Is that because I am not a role model for them, despite being an authority in my field? Or is it rather because they do not have the same reservations that young girls do. Logic tells me it is the latter and I see evidence all the time that young girls are somehow less confident about career paths in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) fields than young boys.
この記事は Scuba Diver の Issue 01-2017 (107) 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は Scuba Diver の Issue 01-2017 (107) 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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