Making science worthwhile: still seeking critical, not cosmetic, changes

Abstract

Tonso’s commentary on Sinnes and Løken’s paper links what they found to empirical research done in science and engineering career settings. Sinnes and Løken’s findings are a welcome addition to a literature dedicated to pointing out, yet again, some of the reasons we have made so little progress reversing gender inequities in the last 35 years. Their critique of Project Lily adds to what we know about initiatives that fail to grasp the futility of depending on either changing women so they become a better fit in STEM fields (few women exist of this sort) or highlighting those aspects of STEM fields perceived as attractive to underrepresented communities (the masculinized downside will still exist). Sinnes and Løken thus join a growing literature calling for cultural change in STEM disciplines and careers and providing a model feminist critique that other scholars can use to challenge similar initiatives.