May Goldie build, happily ever after

I just found the gift that I wish I could send back in time to my tween self.  Although lego bricks are inherently gender neutral toys (prior to the special sets with space and dinosaur warriors that my son now covets), in the 70s,  they remained solidly in the "boy" aisle of the toy store.  Maybe boys used them to embrace their inner weapon designer?  Anyway, although she is nearly a generation younger, the creative force behind GoldieBlox suffered the same absence of spatial acuity toys. She never considered engineering as a field for herself until a high school calculus teacher suggested it to her--I'm glad she had that teacher, rather than Mr. "girls don't do math" at my school!   She has now applied her engineering and product design background to observe how girls play, and develop a 'toy' that combines the reading that girls love with a spatial design toolbox that allows them to explore and build solutions along with the heroine.   Reminds me of those choose-your-own-adventure books that I adored, but with a really great twist.

Debbie Sterling built only one set.  She showcased it in a promotional video to gain support on Kickstarter.  Support has been so strong that she had the startup capital she needed in only two weeks.  Goldiblox are now in their "production run" and are taking pre-orders with an anticipated delivery date of this spring.

Lily O'Donnell of policymic suggests that this toy might help close the gender pay gap, by bringing more women into such a male dominated and high paying field.  Maybe--for the women that head into this field, who also have supportive husbands and partners on their homefronts.  I'm really excited by the prospect that this toy can help many girls see engineering as way they can solve the problems that are important to them, and to make things better for other girls around the world.  What could a fleet of feminine embracing engineers bring to the table?  Maybe instead of bigger and stronger weapons, and bigger and stronger humvees, they'll find a way to stretch resources whose shortages led to political tension in the first place.

Is this the right place to ponder that maybe if Lego had included pastel bricks with their primary cousins in the first place (rather than making separate and inferior pink and lavender sets so many years after the fact), that the parents of girls might have been receptive to them all along?  Was the risk really too great that boys wouldn't have been able to see past the pastels?  Maybe, now that preschool boys are secure enough in their masculinity to assemble pink bunny machine guns (I witnessed this firsthand in my child's daycare), that worry is moot.


--he

economies of life

David Frum, CNN recently pondered the idea that you don't reduce the number of women seeking abortions by banning them, but rather making them accessible BUT improving economic conditions for unexpected moms so that they can consider that maybe they can provide a good life for their little surprises.   His discussion begins with the financial toll of carrying to term (and to college graduation) children conceived in rape.   He describes the correlation between better care and economic conditions in other nations with their low abortion rates.  Its a well argued position, and at the time I initially viewed the piece, the respondents were surprisingly well mannered in their contributions as well.

He could have continued:  Better economic conditions could also lead to better pre- and post -natal care for both planned and serendipitous children.  Such care should be associated with reduced need for sick days, so isn't a system that encourages either or both more business friendly?    Family planning and childcare are societal concerns, not just women's issues.  And policies that support work-life balance should support all workers, not just parents, and certainly not just Moms.  Requiring salaried workers to burn both ends of their candles in perpetuity can't really be good for the bottom line.  Everyone should be able to help Dad get to the doctor, pick up groceries for a recuperating neighbor, weed the community garden, contribute time to the local firehouse or ambulance crew, or just enjoy a few minutes of rare sunny Syracuse weather.  Better mental health supports better physical health--again fewer sick days.  And perhaps higher worker satisfaction and energy levels--so when you do have a legitimate emergency, they do have some reserves to draw upon.  Higher employee satisfaction leads to less turnover, lower training costs, no lost productivity while you try to fill a position and bring up to speed.  

--he

Cowgirls vs the G-men

I don't follow football.  At all.  Nope, not even a teensy, little bit.  But even I can easily tell that this Facebook poster (ca Oct 2012) 

counting down the hrs till the game 4 the Cowgirls and the G-Men

prefers that the NY Giants win over the Dallas Cowboys in their fourth match-up this season.  I figured it out even prior to reading:

GO GIANTS!

My response

Really? must you insult girls this way?

was not intended (as might be interpreted, with a hearty guffaw) to say that Dallas really is awful, a bunch of pansies or sissies  (Remember, I don't follow football, so cannot assess anything about their teamwork or prospects.)  I was questioning why being a girl (or a sissy, which many children may endearingly call older siblings, before they can fully articulate her name or the word 'sister') is an insult.  Research has shown that girls do well, even better than their male classmates, in math and science--until they realize that girls aren't 'supposed to be good at math and science.'  Girls have taken the opportunities granted by Title IX to show they can be smart, funny, strong, creative, athletic. Separately, boys can be sweet, nurturing, kind, articulate.  And every child can whine or cry -- regardless of gender (or sexual orientation).

In my college field experience (ca 1990) the biggest insults were:  take the skirt off.  got your panties in a bunch? Accusations of PMS.  These were all uttered by hulking behemoths at other men, by the way, not to the handful of women that generally slogged on with 'our big girl panties' beneath our jeans and flannel.   I ascertained, therefore, that then, just as now, that the emasculating slights implied that being a girl is demeaning, less than, inferior.   Some might say: you are taking this out of context. Its not offensive to call a girl a girl, just to do so to a manly man.  You are taking it too personally.  Pardon me--you said that its not ok to be a girl.  Man up, buddy--how can that possibly not be personal? 

--he

De-escalating conflict

Catherine Gerard, Director of the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration (PARCC), Maxwell School of Syracuse University, offered a mini-workshop on Managing Conflict and Communication to the faculty and staff involved in SU WiSE/AVANCE.  We cannot control the other person, so she gives advice to help you remain civil (so you don't become the difficult person!) and ensure the other person feels heard, so that a dialogue is possible.  Much of this is accomplished through "Reflective Listening", Query, Assertion, and Anchoring.  These techniques do rely on you being the bigger person, so if you are not willing to assume that role, a different workshop is in order.

Many in the session were concerned with the wording of  "I feel [unappreciated, put upon, even farther behind schedule, etc]....when...."  relaying concern that while it is more approachable language, it also puts you in too vulnerable a position by admitting something so human (feminine?) as emotions (which have no place in science or the workplace, after all).  Plus, it kinda feels like pandering.  Doesn't "I am..." get to that same point?  She and a clinician participant disagreed--note how "kinda feels" qualifies the pandering comment as an interpretation or an assumption, not as fact, so its less accusing or threatening.  They also noted that 1) it takes practice to use this phrasing comfortably and 2) if we truly know it would distract from the point with that particular conflict monger, adapt the wording accordingly.

Hiring biases, seminar plug

It was suggested a few years back that a way to encourage diversity among the faculty and staff ranks was to provide campus-wide 'diversity training', starting with those that serve on search committees.  'Of course the students need it, but its not necessary for the employees.'  'The problem's been solved.' 'Pshaw-Surely an institution of higher learning is free of those pesky biases that affect lessor institutions!'   'We hire the best (based on what?)'

A recent double-blind study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences   and summarized in Science indicates that those suggesting this training really were on to something.  Despite identical, save the gender of the applicant, resumes, the women applying for lab manager position were viewed as less competent and worth less mentoring and lower starting salaries if they were offered positions.  (Addendum 2014:  Similarly,women and people of color with impeccably written letters of introduction and interest were systematically less likely to get responses from the prospective major professors than were white men, and less likely to get positive responses from those that did reply.

The implications of less mentoring is access to fewer resources. Lower starting salaries translate to lower lifetime earnings (every subsequent raise is based on that initial salary), long before accounting for any gaps due to childrearing or eldercare, which still tend to be born primarily by women.   They are also more likely to be impacted by the second shift and face obstacles as a trailing a spouse. 

ESFWOMEN

If you would like to receive and share similar links and announcements of upcoming local events and online opportunities, subscribe to the esfwomen listserv (email with a blank subject line and a message of subscribe esfwomen firstname lastname).  We are also starting to post these resources (links only to avoid copyright infringement), as well as speaker and program summaries in this blog.

SEMINAR AND SPEAKER SERIES

If you would like to discuss the body of literature one hour a week next semester (Tues, 3:30-4:30)--please consider joining or suggesting your students enroll in the 1 credit seminar 'FOR 496/797 ENVRN CAREER STRATEGIES/WOMEN #43773. The current iteration offered by Diane Kuehn, has the bones of the original seminar (WiSE Professions) developed by Robin Hoffman, Therese Donovan and Ruth Yanai in 1999, but continues to grow with the input of other faculty (Janine DeBaise, Sharon Moran) and with the written and verbal evaluations provided by each class.    The class and listserv are not just for women, but are 'safe spaces' for women to discuss issues and career development strategies.  For more information:  http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus/Seminar.htm

Heather
________________________
Heather Engelman
Coordinator, Women in Scientific and Environmental Professions Speaker Series & Take our Kids to Work Day
Research Analyst, Forest Ecology Laboratory, Forest and Natural Resources Management
B9 Marshall Hall (Mailing:  105 Marshall Hall)
SUNY ESF
1 Forestry Dr.
Syracuse, NY 13210
http://www.esf.edu/womenscaucus

The princess in me

Disney's idea of a princess usually disappoints, as they so often require the prince to save or complete them.  Yes, yes, I know that their films are entertainment, but when the only characters that are female also happen to be simpering and weak and shallow and naive and so, well, very cartoonish.... and there are few better alternatives (thank you, Sesame Street!), I can't help but wish they'd use their market share to battle, rather than perpetuate, stereotypes.  But this is an affirmation of value and strength--of real girls, of every color and ability.  Their clips far outnumber and outshine those of storybook characters interspersed among them.  Now, if they can just bring this to their characters (and have more girl characters all around.)

--he

A community of women, and some sweets for the cause

The Women of the University Community is celebrating 85 years on the University Hill!  Read its 'herstory' at http://news.syr.edu/women-of-the-university-community-2/ and plan to attend next week's annual meet and greet "Fall Gathering," Wednesday, Oct. 10, from 5-7 p.m. at the home of longtime member Judy Cavanagh, 1350 Westmoreland Ave. Please RSVP to Tina Casella at 315-622-4138 or cscasell@syr.edu FB

Also note that in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and "Baking for Breast Cancer", a number of CNY restaurants are featuring a special dessert, the proceeds of which will benefit Positively Pink Packages, a local nonprofit organization that provides free care packages and vital resources to newly-diagnosed breast-cancer patients. 

Equals

I can't believe it took a year and a half for this to make it around to my facebook newsfeed.

For more info about the competition in which this clip was entered.

Local History: Women's Baseball leauge reunites in Syracuse!

I am so sorry I missed this. So cool that it was picked up by the AP and Title 9 Sports!  
complete text

The Title IX Olympics?

Title IX, which promotes gender equity in sports and other programs, recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.  Is it a coincidence that in the same year, every national Olympic committee sent women to the Olympic Games.  And women have done well, with US, Chinese and Russian women winning more gold and more medals than their powerhouse male teammates.    Will this be the legacy of the 2012 games?  Or the twitterverse commentary blasting All-Around gold medal gymnast's Gabby Douglas's hair (praytell, how do the haters manage their sweaty locks?) and admonishing British Clean and jerk weightlifting recordholder Zoe Smith for looking like a "bloke."

Zoe's responds that  "We actually would rather be attractive to people who aren’t closed-minded and ignorant. Crazy, eh?! We, as any women with an ounce of self-confidence would, prefer our men to be confident enough in themselves to not feel emasculated by the fact that we aren’t weak and feeble."  Complete text

I'd bet a whole lot of smart women--scientists, engineers, and environmental professionals among them--feel the same way.