I was watching a PBS panel discussion among four women (nary a man) about why newly hired women scientists get strong evaluations yet half of women scientists stop working within the first few years. They offered only three explanations: machismo, sexual harassment, and employers not accommodating to employees' motherhood.
Why did none of the panel members mention any of these, which I have heard again and again from my women clients:
- Many women soon tire of the rigors and isolation of scientist work. Indeed recent research finds that women, on average, just aren't interested enough in science to make a long-term career out of it.
- They end up valuing being a mother more than working outside the home.
- They find it easier to be a stay-at-home mom.
As always in the mainstream (read "liberal") media, it's easier to just blame men.
A blog post on Sciencecareers.org, a project of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS,) recently reported a study that found that "many women participate more actively at the beginning of their scientific career, with their work ambitions reduced after having children."
