Cern scientist says "men are discriminated against in physics'

[Maeb]

Last Friday Cern held a workshop called "1st Workshop on High Energy Theory and Gender" to encourage women in physics. A prominent Cern theoretician, Prof. Alessandro Strumia, gave a talk (complete with slides!) on how women are not as good at physics as men (because 'lady brains') and are given preferential treatment, employment and funding over more talented men.

Dr Jess Wade, a physicist at Imperial College London who also gave a talk tweeted about it and Cern have now issued a bland statement.

It was reported on Radio 4's Today (starts around 39:14 & interview with the idiot himself and Dr Jess Wade @ 2:40:31) and the BBC website.

Obviously this is just ridiculous but I'm curious as to how he can do his day job effectively with such backward views? Does he dismiss the opinions/work, etc of his female superiors, peers? Do his female students and subordinates get the education and encouragement that they are entitled to?

Oi! As a theoretical physicist of a "certain vintage" I object. ( Actually you're probably right.)

Though number of citations is a pretty standard measure of reputation and achievement in science (and one of my female colleagues is lead author on the most-cited paper ever in our particular sub-field ).

I love all the hardcore STEM FWR ‘lady posters’ congregating on this thread. You rock!

Also Jocelyn Bell Burnell . It’s not unheard of for men to take credit for clever female physicists work.

Cern statement (which sounds like it's changed from earlier as PP described as weak):

"On Monday, 1 October, CERN suspended the scientist from any activity at CERN with immediate effect, pending investigation into last week’s event."

That's more like it.

I've got a degree in physics from the 90s and I did not feel (or didn't notice ) any bias from the teachers etc but to be fair I was out clubbing and on the piss the whole time so probably wouldn't have noticed

My fellow students were a great bunch. It was kind of an all geeks (nerds?) together vibe more than girls / boys IYSWIM.

I really enjoyed the course and it's a subject I still am drawn to > and share with the kids. Lots of it is very accessible (in the "stories" as it were, the maths is a bit of a bastard!) and the kids enjoy hearing stuff about stars / planets / atoms / etc.

I don't work in it BUT I think that having Physics BSc on your CV is a sign that you are clever & if you're a woman it's a real conversation starter in job interviews as it's quite unusual I suppose

So for any girl thinking about it who loves the subject I would say go for it but your maths needs to be shit hot as well as your imagination otherwise it is going to be pretty awful!

A side track there but I feel quite passionately about it.

This prof can go fuck himself

To the privileged, equal treatment feels like oppression

Not even equal thought probably.

Even being allowed to look in the door is an affront!