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Why are girls discouraged from doing science? Why do so many promising women leave science in early and mid-career? Why do women not prosper in the scientific workforce?
Not Just for the Boys looks back at how society has historically excluded women from the scientific sphere and discourse, what progress has been made, and how more is still needed. Athene Donald, herself a distinguished physicist, explores societal expectations during both childhood and working life using evidence of the systemic disadvantages women operate under, from the developing science of how our brains are – and more importantly aren't – gendered, to social science evidence around attitudes towards girls and women doing science.
It also discusses how science is done in practice, in order to dispel common myths: for example, the perception that science is not creative, or that it is carried out by a lone genius in an ivory tower, myths that can be very off-putting to many sections of the population. A better appreciation of the collaborative, creative, and multi-disciplinary nature of science is likely to lead to its appeal to a far wider swathe of people, especially women. This book examines the modern way of working in scientific research, and how gender bias operates in various ways within it, drawing on the voices of leading women in science describing their feelings and experiences. It argues the moral and business case for greater diversity in modern research, the better to improve science and tackle the great challenges we face today.
Preface
1. What's the Problem?
2. Can you think of a Female Scientist?
3. Not all scientists should be the same!
4. Why Early Years Matter
5. Creativity is not just for Artists: Why Science is for Everyone
6. Becoming A Scientist
7. Gendered Slings and Arrows
8. Where are we now and where are we going?
Athene Donald is Professor Emerita in Experimental Physics and Master of Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Other than four years of postdoctoral research in the USA, she has spent her career in Cambridge, specializing in soft matter physics and physics at the interface with biology. She was the University of Cambridge's first Gender Equality Champion and has been involved in numerous initiatives concerning women in science. She was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1999 and appointed DBE for services to Physics in 2010.
"Donald writes eloquently [...] Its a great read"
– Mary Beard, Times Literary Supplement
"A sharp indictment of male privilege and an urgent appeal for a more inclusive practice of science."
– Kirkus Reviews
"a manifesto for action [...] As well as offering moral arguments for equality of opportunity, Donald presents a powerful case for change based on improved outcomes [...] [a] heartfelt book"
– Patricia Fara, Literary Review
"An enjoyable and useful primer on the challenges faced by women in STEM [...] Practical and engaging, Not Just for the Boys is a valuable tool that makes a clear case for supporting more women to take up and stay in STEM careers."
– Karly Pitman, Nature
"Informative and thorough [...] if you want to help build a future where women scientists can simply be scientists, but still aren't sure what you can do, reading this book is a good place to start."
– Isabel Rabey, Physics World
"A really important topic that needs addressing. Donald does so effectively [...] Where the book really comes alive is when Donald talks about her own work and experience"
– Brian Clegg, Popular Science
"lively and provocative"
– Dea Birkett, Engineering & Technology
"There is a truth universally recognised by women that at least some of their ideas will be attributed to men! Thanks to Athene Donald's great book I now know the name for this: the Matilda effect. The issues women face in achieving in science are laid out to make an easy read. An important book for women and mankind."
– Professor Dame Sally Davies, Master of Trinity College Cambridge, former Chief Medical Officer for England
"Thoughtful, thorough, comprehensive; lots of telling anecdotes [...] Revealing – draws on a lot of experience in this field and highlights issues that still are prevalent."
– Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Astrophysics, University of Oxford
