Abstract
In this penultimate chapter, I take Witz’s theoretical work on patriarchal exclusion in the medical profession (Witz, 1992) and apply her concepts to a key study from the USA on the history of women’s exclusion from science (Rossiter, 1982; 1995). My aim is to understand the meticulously researched detail of Rossiter’s two books in a sociological way by asking whether Witz’s categories help explain women’s relationship to science in twentieth century America. In so doing, I am trying to ‘see the wood for the trees’ and I am also asking whether Witz’s categories, developed in the context of British medical men’s exclusion of medical women, are adequate in bringing about an understanding of American women’s relationship with the sciences. These categories are: exclusionary, demarcationary, inclusionary and dual closure.
Keywords
American Woman Cultural Capital Contingent Inclusion Subordinate Group Woman ScientistPreview
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