I wonder if evolution is girl science or boy science?
A post over at Movering reports something annoying.
Edmunds Scientific, a company that sells “the latest and most unique science related items available,” has a rather gendered perspective on their consumer market. They’ve got a pull-down menu from which online shoppers can select “Gifts for Girls” or “Gifts for Boys.” No surprise here: the girl options include make-your-own makeup kits and some kind of scientific spa apparatus, the boy options include lots of blammo-type weaponry. This company is not a typical toy store: they say they manufactured a critical component used to record the Apollo landings, and now boast high-quality scientific products for hobbyists of all ages.
I would have been one indignant 8-year-old if I had received the “Creative Cosmetics Kit,” but maybe it’s not entirely reprehensible that someone is manufacturing kiddie makeup as science. (Is it?) But why impose gender categories for things like a personal planetarium (boy) or a rock tumbler (girl)? As Emily on Movering says, it’s offensive, coming from a company invested in getting young people excited about science. Join us and write them a letter saying so.
October 8th, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I don’t think that indignant is a strong enough word for how you would have felt (would still feel) if you got a make up kit. I agree with everything you said. However, let me throw another thought into the mix. What if you could hook an 8 year old girl into science by starting her off on gender specific items that might appeal to her? I am thinking of the kind of girl who is into the jewelry and gender specific type of things. Perhaps someone who would not think about rocks or blammo as interesting. But then once you hook her into science, she becomes interested in science for it’s own sake. Just a thought.
I am also interested in the quality of the kits. We should not be dumbing down or using poor quality ingredients just because they are aimed at children.
October 15th, 2007 at 8:57 pm
Hey, girls should stay home and cook - they belong down here on Earth, not out there in space.
Looking through the telescope is also for boys /it’s so much fun/, not for girls, girls should spend more time cooking and cleaning the house.
Women astronomers are quite impressive if you read some history of science - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Winkelmann
She was making calendars, phases of the moon, all that fun stuff…
It is weird how certain disciplines in science - comp sci, engineering - do not attract
women scientists as much as say - biology.
Evolution is totally girl science….
I wonder what’s in those spa science kits? How does soap works perhaps?