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"At 15, she decided engineering was the career for her. The problem was that it was 1924. “The average woman does not possess the same engineering instinct as t
by Jun8 5y ago
"At 15, she decided engineering was the career for her. The problem was that it was 1924. “The average woman does not possess the same engineering instinct as the average man,” was one opinion recorded in the Daily News at around that time. It belonged to the manager of the Education Research Department at British Westinghouse. “For a woman in the 1920s a career in lion-taming would have been more realistic,” observes Shilling’s biographer, Matthew Freudenberg."
Aptly put. Good thing about reading up on history is to gain an appreciation on the enormous changes in perception in the last 100 years or so, in this case about women in STEM fields. Even when her contribution was acknowledged and applied, it was coined a horribly sexist nickname.
- TchoBeer 5y agoIt's crazy how quickly these things have changed. 1920 doesn't _feel_ like all that long ago, objectively speaking.
- abraae 5y agoIt's surprising that human society has survived, given that half the population was artificially excluded from many intellectual pursuits - or many pursuits full stop really - and the other half perhaps underperformed as they wallowed in feeling of superiority form their position of privilege.
- corndoge 5y agoIt's not really that surprising.
- mc32 5y agoRight. (Other) Animals can be much worse in many ways and their species survive. That’s not to say we want to be like savages, but it just is not a necessary ingredient for survival.
- DoreenMichele 5y agoWhat a fantastic way to dismissively say "Raising children is work that is of zero benefit to the human species and a complete waste of time. Women only have any value if they are doing something other than traditional women's work."
- stevula 5y ago> What a fantastic way to dismissively say "Raising children is work that is of zero benefit to the human species and a complete waste of time. I don’t know if there was an edit to the previous post, but “Excluded from many intellectual pursuits” does not mean anything like what you are saying. Isn’t it possible to lament a historic lack of choice without demeaning homemakers?
- DoreenMichele 5y agoA. I'm reacting to It's surprising that human society has survived. B. Also the part you quoted implicitly suggests raising children takes no brains. I was one of the top three students of my graduating high school class, won a National Merit Scholarship, among other things, and was a full-time wife and mom for a lot of years. I homeschooled my twice exceptional sons because no other school was really capable of adequately serving their needs. My oldest tested at senior in college level in science at age 11 and also below grade level in writing. Addressing his needs required me to present high level materials without watering them down while accommodating his weaknesses. I take personal offense at the idea that full-time moms are not doing useful work and raising children is something any idiot can do well. The world would be a better place if we worried more about raising our children well. Studies show that investing in preschoolers saves money down the line by lowering prison costs for society. Edit in response to your edit: Isn’t it possible to lament a historic lack of choice without demeaning homemakers? Absolutely. But the comment in question doesn't manage to do so.
- xvector 5y agoThis really feels like an over-reaction. > I take personal offense at the idea that full-time moms are not doing useful work and raising children is something any idiot can do well. Where was this even remotely implied? OP said: > It's surprising that human society has survived, given that half the population was artificially excluded from many intellectual pursuits - or many pursuits full stop Even if you disagree with the premise - how in any way does this demean homemakers? What a bizarre reaction.
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- bendbro 5y agoIt isn't surprising at all considering hundreds of surviving, geographically isolated cultures all shared this same characteristic. It seems rather natural and unsurprising when we know it was successfully used so many times.
- dragonwriter 5y ago> It's surprising that human society has survived, given that half the population was artificially excluded from many intellectual pursuits A lot more than half were (and still are), by economic circumstance.
- CamperBob2 5y ago“The average woman does not possess the same engineering instinct as the average man,” was one opinion recorded in the Daily News at around that time Good thing wars aren't won by average people, then! Great story, she reminds me a lot of Jeri Ellsworth's exploits.
- exporectomy 5y agoYou're aware that Westinghouse quote is probably correct, right? Both then and now. Though it's application to an exceptional individual is silly.