Science Careers: Gender Socialization & Ineffectual Encouragement

Science Careers: Gender Socialization & Ineffectual Encouragement
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Science Careers: Gender Socialization & Ineffectual Encouragement
The notion that men are superior to women and that they can accomplish more compared to them has penetrated its way into being a dominant norm within our societies. Women have been made to feel inferior within the working sector. The culture of prioritizing men to take challenging fields like mathematics and science affiliated fields has brought about social inequality regarding gender. The social imagination upholding the gender inequality against women has led to the creation of a counterculture that aims at empowering women. This paper will highlight how a bright minded lady by the name Anna-Mary Schmid is making strides to empower women. It will discuss on how she applies the different sociology concepts and theories to encourage women to take a lead role in the science field.
Schmid has successfully employed the feminist theory to shine a light on the social inequalities that exist when it comes to women in science-related fields. She writes on how there was only one female professor in her department when she was pursuing her doctorate biochemistry. Her empowerment came through social exchange. Having seen her mother passionately pursuing a career as a political writer in a male-dominated field, she felt more energized to pursue her interest in biochemistry (Crossman, 2017). Applying the looking glass-self, Schmid explains how women have the capability and wiring to tackle scientific research; women have a healthy dose of skepticism that is critical in carrying out research work (Dimoff, 2018).

To complement their skepticism quality, women also have a competent verbal and writing skill that enables them to communicate their work modestly.
Dr. Anna-Mary Schmid ‘s success completely thwarts the labeling theory that sees women come in second after men regarding work output (Crossman, 2017). The fact that she is thriving well in a male-dominated field serves as evidence that women can also rise to the level of men in technical fields. The sociological labeling theory in this scenario elevates men in the society to be more superior, more productive as compared to women. Men get the most significant and most lucrative roles of spearheading scientific research while women get the low paying and less technical jobs. One proof given by the writer is viewed on the insight that politics is a male-dominated field that can better be handled by men. Schmid’s mother, however, defied the norm and made a successful career in the field labeled to be “for men only” (Dimoff, 2018).
Structural functionalism is a move that could help women to become more empowered. Setting up cultures of making women feel like they are capable of achieving what men will go a long way in boosting their morale to take up science-related jobs. Dr. Schmid believes that creating public forums like the 36 hours hackathon for women to empower them will create a system of symbolic interactionism. Women will grow up believing that they have the power to excel in technical sectors (Major Perspectives in Sociology, 2018). Creation of women empowerment forum will also trigger women empowerment through sharing stories of successful women who have in the field of science. More women will be able to learn from them through the social exchange as explained by the social exchange theory.
In the quest of championing for women empowerment in technical sectors, it is important to note that men are not necessarily the barrier for women. Dr. Schmid in his work does not point an accusing finger to the men. In her quest, she encourages women to pursue their passion and believe in their abilities (Major Perspectives in Sociology, 2018). She also tells them not to be intimidated by anything. Creating a notion that men are a barrier for women empowerment will only cause friction within the social culture. The way to go about handling the issue of women enrollment in science should be shaped through human phenology. The theory of social phenology stresses on how to use human awareness to deal with the different social challenges (Crossman, 2017). The challenge of human awareness can get addressed by both genders. Both genders can take up the issue and play a role in helping out women without seeing it as a threat to their end. Creating human awareness on how women need to be empowered universally will get both genders on the same page (Major Perspectives in Sociology, 2018). Instead of undermining the abilities of women men will be able to look at them objectively and gauge their competence regarding their academic qualification.
Women empowerment is not a means of trying to compete with men; it is a way of motivating women to rise to the occasion and pursue more technical jobs. It is a way of telling women to believe in their abilities. Women should be able to compete for science-driven jobs without fear of intimidation. There needs to be a culture change in how we view different jobs. Labelling technical positions as being for a specific gender is a sad notion that undermines individual’s efforts.

Reference
Crossman, A. (2017). Definition of the Sociological Imagination and Overview of the Book.
ThoughtCo.
Dimoff, A. (2018). Vancouver Island biochemist encourages women to get creative in science
careers. CBC News. Retrieved 15 February 2018, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/women-science-un-1.4529817
Three Major Perspectives in Sociology. (2018). Cliffsnotes.com. Retrieved 8 February 2018,
from https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/the-sociological-perspective/three-major-perspectives-in-sociology