WW-- re:Have you ever read "The Women's Room" by Virginia Woolf?
Virgina Woolf wrote and essay "a room of my own", lamenting that women were not accorded the same time and access to persue careeres as men. she, too wanted a study, a room for herself to work in, by herself. and she pointed out, women didn't have such room.. men might comment "there is the nursry" (and so decide the woman real work and worth was in bearing children) or point out the "sewing room" (again, womem seen only as slave to fashion, and who primary work was providing directly for the needs of a family) Men could have a study, and write, earn money, and with this money provide... women were expected to provide directly.
(and this is still all to true, since the work women do in the house; laundry, cleaning, childcare, mending, cooking, what ever they do for their family, is never counted in a country GDP-- their labor is not recorded at all.. it continues to be considered "valueless" by the thing we use to value most things ins this word, the dollar value of the contribution.
(mind you, volunteer work, soup kitchen work, this is considered, and econmist can tell you the value of volunteer oganizations, so its not that there is no direct payment, it is rather a continuation of a thought process, that accords women little value)
Marilyn French wrote "a woman room" about a modern women, who is bright, and hard working, who finds, that no matter her accademic acheivements, she is passed over, again and again.. it is about how women's value and contributions are passed over. (Marilyn French also wrote a wonder full book on power.. Beyond Power, detailing what was needed for things to change.. a great book
Dr Bill has been reading (and providing words from) a radio show that has all the transcripts on line, The Egines of Innovation". Dr Lienhart, bless his heart, has done many episodes on womens contributions.. and has commented again and again.. this women made a great contribution to the sciences.. and her name has is never recorded in any text books... there have been 5 nobel prizes awarded to women in physics. which is pretty remarkable since for half of the time nobel prizes have been given out, women have been actually barred from attending schools (like MIT) that taught science. just as they were for years barred from medical school or from law school. and even when they where allowed to attend, they were refused degrees, or refused credential to practice. and Fran Connally, of Stanford, was the woman who resigned in the face of continuing sexual harrasment at that school.. something that still go on, there, and many other places.
What is remarkable is how many women, inspite of all the obsticales they had to overcome, still manage to acheive any recognition!
