\u201cI\u2019m not plain vanilla!,\u201d Suse Broyde proclaims over the constant humming of the heater in her 20\u2019 by 6\u2019 office. The moss colored carpet is stained, hiding its original gray color. Shelves of books line the walls, some filled with piles of papers pouring out of overstretched manila folders. The few legible titles peeping out of the overflowing shelves read \u201cBiochemistry,\u201d \u201cRepair-Resistant DNA Lesions,\u201d and a book titled \u201cUnfinished Business: Women Men Work Family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suse, or rather, Dr. Broyde is a professor of biology at NYU. She earned her Ph. D. in Physical Chemistry in 1963: the same year Betty Friedan\u2019s \u201cThe Feminine Mystique\u201d was published. But when women stopped working for a day in August 1970 for the Women\u2019s Strike for Equality, Broyde was at the library. And at a time when professors of chemistry at Yale couldn\u2019t recall any women scientists of the past, not even Marie Curie, a two-time Nobel Prize winner, Broyde was at the library: every Friday, in fact, to look at the scientific journals, an activity she describes, as \u201cthe best fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI just wanted to be a scientist,\u201d she explained, \u201cI put all of my energy into raising my family and being a scientist and not at all active.\u201d In a soft voice, and using hand gestures as she speaks slowly, Broyde\u2019s fire for science is still burning after all of these years.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeculiar\u2026I have to say,\u201d she says on the phenomenon of women being deterred from scientific fields because of some preexisting expectations of women at the time to be housewives. In contrast, she describes herself as \u201cvery strong and robust. This is followed with a, \u201ceven though, you know\u2026\u201d gesturing at her small physique, maybe 5\u20191.<\/p>\n
Her black rimmed glasses cover much of her face, but give attention to her small and gentle eyes that show little sign of any makeup. Her cheeks are lined with years of experience and knowledge, a true sign of all her hours dedicated to science and her family. She is just under 80 years old, and has a firm handshake.<\/p>\n
In a \u201cmale-dominated field,\u201d as we have coined any scientific discipline, we expect stories of prejudice and unfairness from a woman. Especially in the \u201860s, moments before the second-wave feminists revolutionized the way women were and are treated in the workplace. But in the shadow of all of these protests and marches, Broyde\u2019s passion for science persisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was curious and I wanted to understand how things worked,\u201d she describes, \u201cand I was sort of driven to it and I just couldn\u2019t be stopped. I just persistently worked away at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Broyde never noticed if there were more men in her classes as a student, or if she didn\u2019t get that fellowship because she was a woman. Prejudice against women in the scientific community on a large scale is a topic that has only recently been shed light onto.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that it\u2019s a big hot topic, and I know that it\u2019s there. I\u2019m sure that it has always existed, and people are working very hard to avoid it now, but I have to tell you that I didn\u2019t pay much attention to it. Science was just something I was very passionate about. I paid no mind to [the prejudice.]\u201d<\/p>\n
Similarly, Melissa Tan, a third-year Ph. D candidate notices that there has never been a moment when she feels like she was treated differently because she is a woman in science. A first-generation immigrant, her parents both from Malaysia, Melissa studies the optical properties of crystals at NYU Professor Bart Kahr\u2019s lab.<\/p>\n
She started in the humanities during her undergraduate career, but soon switched to chemistry. \u201cI realized there wasn\u2019t enough of a balance in the coursework, for me,\u201d she admits. She tries to find the right words, slightly tilting her head, looking up. \u201cI wasn\u2019t\u2026challenging my mind\u2026fully.\u201d She strings together her words to make certain she articulates her honest answers.<\/p>\n
Melissa was introduced to the world of chemistry through her first professor who suggested art preservation: the field of protecting art by understanding its components and using chemicals to disrupt any degradation of material.<\/p>\n
I ask if there is any difference in atmosphere between her art history classes and her chemistry. After a small pause, she laughs almost apologetically answers, \u201cHonestly\u2026no. It might be surprising. One might think that in a setting where I\u2019m just mostly around female colleagues that I would be more comfortable in participating, but I think in both situations I\u2019ve always been somewhat reserved. That’s probably more out of a fear of getting things wrong,\u201d she laughs again but this time a little embarrassed.<\/p>\n
To both Melissa and Broyde, the world of science is an egalitarian place: there is no Harvey Weinstein lurking around.<\/p>\n
But the numbers show a different story. According to the Census Bureau\u2019s 2009 survey, women make up 48% of the workforce in the US, but only 24% of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workers. In 2014, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics found that women physicians and surgeons made only $0.62 to every $1 earned by their male counterparts. Whatever the reason, women aren\u2019t as well represented or paid in STEM fields. But experiences of women like Broyde and Melissa exemplify hope for future women scientists.<\/p>\n
Whether it was by luck, or by being surrounded by a generally liberal environment, Melissa explains her experience in her lab group as being fair and unbiased.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the current environment and the aftermath of the Me Too movement, Bart was very open in telling all of us that if you\u2019re ever uncomfortable, if anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable or acts untoward to you, let me know and I will take care of it. And I appreciated that.\u201d<\/p>\n
She describes further that there has not been a significant change at her lab following the recent social movements on women\u2019s rights and equality, \u201cbut in a way, I think that\u2019s a good thing.\u201d Has there been a noticeable change in the greater scientific community as a result of movements like Me Too and the Women\u2019s March?<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it\u2019s too soon to say,\u201d she says, \u201cI think there was also a recent publication that shows that most articles are still published by men rather than women.\u201d<\/p>\n
She is right. A study published in 2016 found that men are \u201c15% more likely to author published journal articles than their female counterparts per 100 hours of research time.1<\/sup>\u201d<\/p>\n But Melissa is hopeful. \u201cAlthough these movements have not eradicated gender biases completely,\u201d she explains, \u201cthey are an important step forward. For once, the narrative is not \u2018female cat-fight\u2019 but the power of collective action! Moreover, these movements are increasing the visibility of successful women, which is critical to inspiring young girls.\u201d<\/p>\n She continues, \u201cit\u2019s very encouraging to see and to be a part of this awakening that I think remains to be seen. Collectively, will we stay the course; will we keep putting pressure on these male dominated environments so that women are treated equitably?\u201d<\/p>\n After a pause, Melissa acknowledges that she is part of \u201cthis isolated bubble\u2026there\u2019s no intrinsic reason why chemistry or the sciences should be any different from the business of Hollywood.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not plain vanilla!,\u201d Suse Broyde proclaims over the constant humming of the heater in her 20\u2019 by 6\u2019 office. The moss colored carpet is stained, hiding its original gray color. Shelves of books line the walls, some filled with piles of papers pouring out of overstretched manila folders. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":202,"featured_media":18,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n