Attractive women don't go into neuroscience?

[odysseus]

From what I've read, women generally are underrepresented in scientific and engineering fields due to the often solitary nature of the work. It has nothing to do with women not being able to do the work itself - they can. It's rather that they generally prefer to work in situations where there is more contact with other people and more discussion and social interaction going on. Something to do with the language centre in the female brain being more developed or more efficient or than in males or something like that....

[Audley Strange]

In short they can't shut up thus get too distracted with chinwaggery to do the job? I'd buy that if it wasn't the same for most guys I've seen (and administered LOTS of first aid to) in workplaces.

[Tyrannical]

Men are on average more intelligent than women, especially on the extreme ends of the IQ scale. That's just a scientific fact and no amount of skepchick PMS can change that.

[Audley Strange]

Only because in vast parts of the world they don't recieve ANY education. Plus IQ is only a measure of a grade on IQ test nothing else, you'd need to be pretty dumb to think it measures much else.

[rasetsu]

I think you folk are reaching to make a point. The guy in the bearded picture I saw was not unattractive. I wouldn't hesitate to date him based on looks. Maybe that's where a divide lands. Men think in terms of sexual objectivication, and so physical appearance is a more salient and pronounced part of the picture for them than for women. I don't know. I'm only one woman. And the guys I've typically fallen for are the one's with more than physical gifts.

For all we know, this could simply reference a difference in the processing by the two types of brains. (In my idleness, I've ranked the top 3 visual characteristics that appeal to me most. Granted these are my criteria are for women not men, but it might be instructive. I ranked them as follows, 1) the eyes, 2) personality, 3) face [hips come in at #4, making the list not generalizable].) What do other women find most attractive in a man?

To be blunt, I simply consigned this tweet down to "men being men," and nothing of greater significance.

[odysseus]

In short they can't shut up thus get too distracted with chinwaggery to do the job?

Not quite, no.

I'd buy that if it wasn't the same for most guys I've seen (and administered LOTS of first aid to) in workplaces.

Yup. Many guys prefer to be in a more social setting too. Nobody said it was black and white....

[Audley Strange]

In short they can't shut up thus get too distracted with chinwaggery to do the job?

Not quite, no.

I'd buy that if it wasn't the same for most guys I've seen (and administered LOTS of first aid to) in workplaces.

Yup. Many guys prefer to be in a more social setting too. Nobody said it was black and white....

Well it's black white and shut in (it's a colour alright?!) I know shut-in is a derisory term but I think it should be reclaimed not as a term for people who are anti-social, but for people who have to seriously concentrate on their work and shut all else out to do so.

You know the scene in The Shining where Wendy comes in and ask Jack how his novel's coming on and he goes nuts telling her basically to fuck off and don't disturb him? I'd imagine that for many people, like myself, the social aspect of a work environment is detrimental to their ability to concentrate (actually if I'm honest I think that the social aspect in work is what is causing most businesses to be more like a playground lottery where you might get what you want but are more likely to get someone who's annoyed you're interrupting them talking about themselves) . What genitals you have and what you like to do with them seems to me to bear little relation to your ability to do a job.

It may have a factor on the persona you cultivate for yourself.

Audley Strange,
Intergalactic Weasel Smuggler.

[odysseus]

What genitals you have and what you like to do with them seems to me to bear little relation to your ability to do a job.

It's to do with desire to work in a more social environment rather than ability. Something to do with the effects of oestrogen on the brain and its language apparatus apparently. And obviously the effects will vary depending on the woman. Louann Brizendine's The Female Brain was the book I read it in IIRC. Not a bad intro to the subject... made me realise how little I knew about the differences.

[rasetsu]

There's also an excellent book by Carol Gilligan (In A Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development)

[odysseus]

There's also an excellent book by Carol Gilligan (In A Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development)

Sweet. I'll add it to my list.

[hiyymer]

What genitals you have and what you like to do with them seems to me to bear little relation to your ability to do a job.

It's to do with desire to work in a more social environment rather than ability. Something to do with the effects of oestrogen on the brain and its language apparatus apparently. And obviously the effects will vary depending on the woman. Louann Brizendine's The Female Brain was the book I read it in IIRC. Not a bad intro to the subject... made me realise how little I knew about the differences.

I'm a little puzzled by the assertion that neuroscientists work in isolation or non-social environments. From what I hear it's more like an endless series of meetings and conferences to sell your next project to the funders, publish articles, run political interference, and feather your reputation. The actual research work seems to be far from all or even most of the job. It takes a pretty driven assertive personality to be good at it and stay funded.

[odysseus]

I'm a little puzzled by the assertion that neuroscientists work in isolation or non-social environments. From what I hear it's more like an endless series of meetings and conferences to sell your next project to the funders, publish articles, run political interference, and feather your reputation. The actual research work seems to be far from all or even most of the job. It takes a pretty driven assertive personality to be good at it and stay funded.

I guess it's a case of degree. I'd say that there aren't that many jobs that are completely in isolation, and I wouldn't assert that neuroscience is one of them. I'd imagine that it's about more and less-social rather than social vs non-social. Maybe the nature of the discourse involved comes into it somewhere? Is it the case that men on balance tend to occupy the more aggressive end of the jobs where the wrangling is done? I couldn't really say...

[Blind groper]

During my career, I went to numerous scientific and technical conferences and meetings. The vast majority of participants were male, but there has always been a good smattering of women. I have to say that those women seemed to me to be just as attractive (or unattractive) as women outside those meetings.

I think the original observation is bullshit. While my technical interests do not include neuroscience, I am willing to bet that the percentage of good looking women neuroscientists is just as high as the percentage of good looking women in any other profession.

However, our perceptions do get kinda screwed by Hollywood, and by supermodels. The standard of beauty can get damn unreal. Personally, I think all women are beautiful, but I have to admit that very, very few can match those models and actresses. I reckon the guy who claims female neuroscientists are ugly is just an idiot who does not realise that models and actresses are freaks.

[charlou]

^ Ah yes, good points there.

[odysseus]

^^^ I agree. A pertinent question with regard to the OP would be, "What the hell does it matter anyway?" What is an 'attractive' woman going to bring to the field of neuroscience that an 'unattractive' woman can't, other than a bit of eye-candy for the hairy-palm brigade? Fuck me, it's neuroscience not X-Factor, you'd hope in this day and age that a woman won't get voted off the job simply because she doesn't look like one of the talent-free clones that haunt the tabloid media.