Sperm meets egg… Romantic Science? Scientific fairy tales? A classic piece

GAP JUNCTION STAFF

January 15, 2014

Can gender really matter for science? I mean, sure, scientists have gender. But what about the science itself? Like, the actual research and reports? Some people say no way; others aren’t so sure. Meanwhile, this is a compelling piece that has convinced many a skeptic that gender is written into the very processes of science, sometimes in surprising and disturbing ways.

Click here (Martin Egg and Sperm) to read “The egg and the sperm: How science has constructed a romance based on stereotypical male-female roles.” It’s by Emily Martin, and was published in Signs (16,3, 485-501).

Where else have you seen gender written into scientific analogies? This work is from 1991; are scientists past this now? What is so troubling about this kind of “gender seepage”? Add your thoughts!