Sexism in sciences criticized<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Women are poorly represented in \"hard sciences\"
\nsuch as physics and engineering because of oppressive and
\nignorant social values which deem those sciences \"unsuitable\" for
\nwomen, observers say.<\/p>\n
Senior sociologist Mely G. Tan at the Indonesian Institute
\nSciences said that society, instead, encouraged women to enter
\n\"soft sciences\" such as literature and social studies.<\/p>\n
\"It'll take us quite some time to change the public ignorance
\nabout women's capability to excel in those hard sciences, but it
\ncan be done,\" Mely told The Jakarta Post recently.<\/p>\n
Syamsiah Achmad, a scholar and former assistant to State
\nMinister for Women's Roles, conceded that there is a stereotype
\nwhich sees hard sciences as \"something great and only suitable
\nfor men\".<\/p>\n
\"The belief that women are not good for hard sciences is just
\nnot true,\" she said. \"It's the stereotypes that have made women
\nreluctant to enter those fields.\"<\/p>\n
According to the Ministry of Education and Culture's data, in
\n1995 there were only 42 women with doctorate degrees in
\nengineering in comparison to 268 men, 132 women in basic sciences
\nsuch as physics compared to 169 men, and 21 women in computer
\nsciences compared to 58 men.<\/p>\n
Lanny Hardhy, a lecturer at the Bandung Institute of
\nTechnology said that women have always been considered users,
\nrather than producers, of technology.<\/p>\n
Mely disagreed. She said both women and men are users of
\ntechnology, especially here.<\/p>\n
\"It's particularly true for Indonesia because, as a developing
\ncountry, most of the technology used here is not of our own
\ninvention,\" she said. \"Both men and women here are users of
\ntechnology.\"<\/p>\n
Mely suggested that the effort to dissolve stereotypes about
\nwomen's poor ability in hard sciences be started at home.<\/p>\n
\"We have to teach our children that women and men are no
\ndifferent when it comes to science and technology,\" she said.
\n\"Women can enter hard sciences.\" (31)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sexism-in-sciences-criticized-1447893297",
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