Be authentic, be uplifting, be a female leader
Seems like this week is all about #genderdiscrimination in #academia : first, Nature’s article on #misogyny in science (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02101-x) and then a scandalous remark from a Nobel laureate Kurt Wüthrich that he “feels discriminated against as a male scientist” and what has followed after a female scientist tried to respond (https://www.science.org/content/article/nobel-laureate-claimed-antimale-discrimination-early-career-researcher-called-it-out). Here is the video of the exchange (https://twitter.com/i/status/1675419994195148807). Truly this young brave scientist is my hero!
Twitter is exploding with outrage, but one comment in particular caught my attention:
The Nature article also pointed to a similar issue: it’s not one gender against another — it’s a culture that gets embedded into our minds:
“It is just as important to denounce misogyny when it comes from unexpected sources — such as senior women who have survived the system, have internalized it and continue to replicate it.”
Reflecting on my personal experience, I’ve been lucky enough to only hear stories of female leaders discriminating against other women. In fact, I have met some absolutely wonderful, inspiring, uplifting women in my path, and I wanted to acknowledge these women and let them know how much I appreciated meeting them. These women contributed to a collective image of a female leader I aspire to become one day: smart, independent, strong and most importantly, authentic.
