Women are desperate for attention. And men are desperate to give them attention.
That is why, in our age, every scientific or artistic exploit of women, no matter how mediocre, will receive a far higher amount of attention and praise as when a (presumed) man had done the same.
An example:
Women, today, are seen through a favorable lens.
I think the same is true for the way we, as a society, value female achievements of the past when we look back.
When I was studying CS, I was constantly bombarded with the story of Ada Lovelace, the “Mother of Programming” who apparently wrote the first computer program.
This turned out to be untrue. Ada was, no doubt, smart for her age and gender, but her achievements have been evaluated through the same favorable lens mentioned above.
So, the lesson here is, if you ever hear of a women (past or present) who did something exceptionally, doubt it, because it is likely that her achievement will be presented to you through the favorable lens.
However, if you hear of a man (especially a white, straight one) who did something of note, you can be sure that he deserved the praise he got. (Unless he pulled of some kind of fraud)
That is why, in our age, every scientific or artistic exploit of women, no matter how mediocre, will receive a far higher amount of attention and praise as when a (presumed) man had done the same.
An example:
Women, today, are seen through a favorable lens.
I think the same is true for the way we, as a society, value female achievements of the past when we look back.
When I was studying CS, I was constantly bombarded with the story of Ada Lovelace, the “Mother of Programming” who apparently wrote the first computer program.
This turned out to be untrue. Ada was, no doubt, smart for her age and gender, but her achievements have been evaluated through the same favorable lens mentioned above.
So, the lesson here is, if you ever hear of a women (past or present) who did something exceptionally, doubt it, because it is likely that her achievement will be presented to you through the favorable lens.
However, if you hear of a man (especially a white, straight one) who did something of note, you can be sure that he deserved the praise he got. (Unless he pulled of some kind of fraud)
