Feminists Ask, Is Science Sexless?

SEX AND SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY Sandra Harding and Jean F. O’Barr, eds. The University of Chicago Press. Chicago, 1987. 304 pp. $10.95. Science has been regarded traditionally as sexless, and therefore removed from individual and institutional biases tha may influence less rigorous, more interpretive scholarly fields. How ever, as the papers in this volume demonstrate clearly, the assumption of gender neutrality in science is highly controversial. Indeed, as women have become increasingly a

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

Science has been regarded traditionally as sexless, and therefore removed from individual and institutional biases tha may influence less rigorous, more interpretive scholarly fields. How ever, as the papers in this volume demonstrate clearly, the assumption of gender neutrality in science is highly controversial. Indeed, as women have become increasingly active in the sciences, they have be. come concerned more with identifying and understanding gender biases in their discipline. The history of women in science, the ways in which science has been applied to social and political policies that af fect women, and the potential transformation of science to incorporate feminist perspectives are the subjects of this book.

The selected essays are reprinted from articles published between 1975 and 1986 in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. As the editors point out in their introduction, there is no clear consensus among the papers; rather, “the differing approaches reflect ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Karen Strier

    This person does not yet have a bio.

Published In

Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo
New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

Sino

Products

Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio
Inventia Life Science

Inventia Life Science Launches RASTRUM™ Allegro to Revolutionize High-Throughput 3D Cell Culture for Drug Discovery and Disease Research

An illustration of differently shaped viruses.

Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

Twist Bio