The Dark Side of Being a Female Shark Researcher

[bluescribbler]

I was 21 years old when I encountered the place where sharks and television intersect. It was my first research internship, working with a famous shark scientist I had long admired but only just met. My second week, I was on a boat with a film crew, chumming for sharks in the background while the senior scientist dispensed expertise in the foreground. At one point, the film crew suggested I sit next to my hero on camera and repeat the prompt: “So, [Dr. Hero], why did you become a shark scientist?”



For the beautiful green-eyed assistants, of course,” he replied, gesturing at me. I froze, silent, a nervous half-smile on my face.

Don’t worry,” a member of the film crew assured me afterward. “We won’t use it.” I felt a wash of relief and gratitude. It was years before I thought to wonder why I’d felt I was the one who would have looked bad if they had.


This isn’t the worst experience I’ve had as a woman in shark science, or even in the top 10. It barely makes my list at all. I remember it mainly for how small and ashamed it made me feel in the first moments of my career as a scientist; for the way his joke told me clearly who I was to him, and how he thought I fit into the story.

<snip>
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-dark-side-of-being-a-female-shark-researcher

[obamanut2012]

1. Good read -- thank you for posting

Women in STEM are treated horribly, especially field and lab scientists.

[bluescribbler]

4. I wish I could say I'm shocked

I'm not.

[Nay]

8. I've been in a couple of male-dominated professions and I can attest to how much

of a pain in the ass it was. I really hated being treated like meat; like an interloper taking a man's job away; like I'm stupid, no matter how well I did; I could go on.

[bluescribbler]

13. I spent my entire career in a male dominated trade.

I am a retired machinist. During the 40+years of my career, I've known maybe 3 machinists who were women and perhaps 4 or 5 who worked in the shops. Sexist talk was commonplace. Granted, most of my colleagues were not highly educated, and many were Repukes. Still, sexism is not a function of education or lack thereof. It's a function of culture and upbringing.
I think all men are sexist to a degree, myself included. Some of us try to be better, some do not.

[Phoenix61]

2. One would think well educated men would know better

One would be wrong. It’s beyond frustrating.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Education has nothing to do with whether a dude is an asshole or not.

[Phoenix61]

10. Too true! nt

[Nay]

11. "Well-educated man" and "predator" are not mutually exclusive, unfortunately. nt

[Baclava]

3. I hate shark week, kill, kill, kill, sharks are evil, kill, kill, sharks are bad, kill kill kill

[RhodeIslandOne]

5. LOL, I've never heard anyone say sharks are evil or bad on a shark week show

It's pretty much "You're in their domain, it's nature, get over it".

[Baclava]

7. Oh I got that from Emily Graslie, I watched all her youtube episodes, she's the best!

She stood up to sexist crap on Youtube trolls, you gotta watch this

Meet Emily Graslie, The Youtuber Who Became Chief Curiosity Correspondent At Chicago Field Museum

[GoCubsGo]

17. I love her!

She recently did a series on PBS about dinosaur fossil hunting. It was EXCELLENT! I'm pretty sure you can still stream it from the PBS web site. If not, it will be back on a re-run sooner or later. I'm sorry to hear she has to put up with the kind of shit she describes, but I'm not at all surprised. I sent nearly 3 decades in science. My major professor was a woman. And, I only ever worked for women. I saw that kind of crap all the time. Hell, remember going to scientific conferences, and being ignored, while my co-worker got all the attention. She only had a BS degree, but she was an attractive blonde, and that's all that seemed to matter. There were some days where I spent more time running interference for her from men trying to hit on her, that I did talking science. It's sad to see than not much has changed.

[Baclava]

18. Yes, I watched her PBS special Prehistoric Roadtrip, she's just fun to listen to

From earlier this year:

[GoCubsGo]

19. She has the best job in the world.

And, she does a great job at it! I love her enthusiasm!

[Dr. Strange]

6. You might be thinking SharkNado.

The Discovery channel doesn't push a "sharks are bad or evil" theme.

[Baclava]

12. Sharks, sharks and more sharks!

&list=PLPHLNqfwVVBs92HQPJQJZQ-w6rB9A4oza&index=104

[Duppers]

14. You'll enjoy this

She's so cool.

[honest.abe]

15. My wife is a design engineer in the large scale construction business.

She has experienced a number of sexual harassment type incidents over the years but the one she feels the most violated was the least obvious. She was in a meeting with about 5 or so other men. The highest level guy in the meeting would never directly speak to her or even use my wife's name although she was a critical member of the team. He simply ignored her as if she shouldnt even be there. That hurt her more than the direct harassment stuff.

He was the only one doing that.. all the rest of guys she currently works with treat her equally and with respect.

[radius777]

16. STEM bros are the worst.

Their values dictate how alot of our modern world (social media, etc) operates, as they run most of these companies.

Alot of them are socially clueless and hold ugly views on many topics.

I'm a male (of color) and see no hope for them at all.