Wake Up, Science and Religion
Science & Religion News 6 (Spring 1995): 8
Kevin Sharpe
The science and religion field wants to feel legitimate, to satisfy the
moral imperative for equality, and to use talent to its fullest. It should do
what it can to bring this about.
My friend remarked about the absence of women in the nearly full conference
room, something I too had noticed--with five minutes to go,
she was the only woman present. I also noted that the six presenters at this
Theology and Science session included only one woman. The Annual Meeting of the
Senior scientists who are women
usually follow the "traditional male" model. They adopt the work
styles and values of the older men, and focus on their science to find their
identity through research and career. Marriage and children come second, if at
all, and then most wait till after they've achieved tenure. This doesn't meet
the needs of most younger women, whether students or
faculty. They have no role model and struggle for an alternative approach that
balances career and family.
· Universities must provide child care and
parental leave. They also have to slow the race to tenure.
· They must reduce isolation, provide
information, and set up a supportive and colleagial work environment.
If they can't reform themselves, the institutions may need outside
pressures. Or legal action.
Both the factors in science departments affect science and
religion.
Women, therefore, face three problems: to get in at the
bottom, to maintain themselves in the field, and to reach the top. Can this
role fit with child raising and the "relational
female" model for life?
The field wants to feel legitimate, to satisfy the moral
imperative for equality, and to use talent to its fullest. It should do what it
can to bring this about.