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EU Science Politics

Dutch Science Academy Plans A Women-Only Election (sciencemag.org) 266

greg65535 writes: In order to reduce its gender imbalance, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in Amsterdam will hold special election rounds, one in 2017 and one in 2018, for which only women can be nominated.
The plan "does not come at men's expense," argues the academy's president, Jose van Dijck, because all the regular election rounds for membership will also still continue as planned. Currently 13% of the academy's 556 members are women, a slightly higher percentage than the 10% at Germany's national science academy and the 6% in the U.K. The plan was proposed by two male board members and approved by a 73% majority, though ironically, the first female president of the U.S. National Academy of Science says "I don't think we would do that. Other people might feel that women elected this way somehow did not meet the same standards as their male counterparts, or even other women elected through the regular process."
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Dutch Science Academy Plans A Women-Only Election

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  • Separate election? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday November 19, 2016 @06:37PM (#53323327)
    I thought we already knew separate was not equal?
  • Not Ironic. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by 0100010001010011 ( 652467 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @06:40PM (#53323343)

    first female president of the U.S. National Academy of Science says "I don't think we would do that. Other people might feel that women elected this way somehow did not meet the same standards as their male counterparts, or even other women elected through the regular process.

    If you want people to stop using the "You only got _____ because of _____" you need to stop giving people ______ because of __________.

    XX-chromosomes dept.

    This is fucking slashdot. Not Reddit. I'm perfectly content with www.reddit.com/r/TwoXChromosomes existing. I have no qualms about them. However I don't read it because that's not what I want to read. Consequently I read slashdot for none of this shit.

    Damn it new owners. You were doing good. And I'll admit that it's been better than the Dice years but Make Slashdot Great Again by cutting out this crap. There's enough in tech to not even ever have to bring up gender and politics.

    • Uh... her quote was that you shouldn't do it because it will be perceived badly. She very much didn't say that the quality of applicants is being lowered.

      Come to think of it neither did you.

      How about we let good people be appointed and not give two flying fucks about what a bunch of randos on the internet thing?

      • She said it the best way possible, because the perception would be founded, and because even if you don't care how you got there, it will never be respected because everyone will know it was rigged. So she speaks to women that care for equal opportunity and those that wan't equal outcomes.

    • Damn it new owners. You were doing good.

      When was that?

      There's enough in tech to not even ever have to bring up gender and politics.

      And yet, they give us a new gender in politics story almost every day.

      When you couple that with the fact that the new "editors" are just as shit at editing (and reading comprehension!) as the old "editors" I really don't think anything has improved outside of slashvertisements actually finally being labeled as such.

    • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      I actually agree with you on this one. I find stories about gender in tech interesting, but this is just rage-bait rubbish.

  • by mi ( 197448 ) <slashdot-2017q4@virtual-estates.net> on Saturday November 19, 2016 @06:43PM (#53323357) Homepage Journal

    The plan "does not come at men's expense," argues the academy's president, Jose van Dijck, because all the regular election rounds for membership will also still continue as planned.

    Rrrriight...

    Currently 13% of the academy's 556 members are women, a slightly higher percentage than the 10% at Germany's national science academy and the 6% in the U.K.

    So, with the equality of opportunity achieved long ago, the inequality of results is telling us something... Instead of admitting, that maybe, just maybe, there is something inherently different about the genders, these people double and triple on their dogmas.

    We already have Women Grandmasters [wikipedia.org] in chess — because appallingly few ladies could rise to the real GM. The Dutch will now have Women Academics. Though they wouldn't be as good as the real Academics, their titles and privileges will, no doubt, be made equally acceptable (and, perhaps, financially-rewarding) as the real thing. Not at men's expense? Indeed. At the expense of all the Dutch...

    • by gweihir ( 88907 )

      Indeed. Way to destroy quality in science, if merely having a different genetic makeup suddenly means you can be less competent. This is beyond stupid.

      There are less exceptional female scientists. That is a fact and it does not stem from females having to work harder. It stems from fewer of them being willing to work hard in this area. That the ones that do are on-par simply means this is not a discrimination issue. Deal with it.

    • I'd love to see whoever modded your post explain why it's flamebait.

      Anyone who considers facts to be flamebait needs to examine their value system.

    • So, with the equality of opportunity achieved long ago

      Did we achieve that? Got any evidence?

      • by mi ( 197448 ) <slashdot-2017q4@virtual-estates.net> on Sunday November 20, 2016 @12:52AM (#53324803) Homepage Journal

        So, with the equality of opportunity achieved long ago

        Did we achieve that? Got any evidence?

        You are demanding, I prove a negative... Simply put, there is no law, that bars women from any pursuit whatsoever. What few sex-based restrictions there are, are anti-men, not anti-women.

    • So, with the equality of opportunity achieved long ago, the inequality of results is telling us something

      You're assuming that we achieved equality of opportunity. I believe the entire point of an election like this goes something like "inherit bias among men to selecting men means opportunity is not equal, and will remain unequal until the voting block is significantly gender mixed."

      We already have Women Grandmasters in chess â" because appallingly few ladies could rise to the real GM.

      Created a long t

      • by mi ( 197448 )

        inherit [sic] bias among men to selecting men means opportunity is not equal, and will remain unequal until the voting block is significantly gender mixed.

        That's why I used the term "dogma". A more polite word would've been axiom. That is, if your initial assumption (dogma or axiom) is that women are equally capable of and interested, on average, as men, then, indeed, the disparity in result can only mean one thing: sexism. Whose sexism — that of parents, or teachers, or colleagues, or even internaliz

        • by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          Being a high ranking chess player is probably not helping the men procreate either.

          Anyway, even in physical sports many top ranked women have children. Ennis-Hill took some time out to have a child and still won back to back Olympic medals. Seems like it would matter even less with chess.

          • by mi ( 197448 )

            Being a high ranking chess player is probably not helping the men procreate either.

            Actually, it does — winners are attractive. Man's participation in the actual reproduction is measured in minutes, so he can dedicate much more time and effort to becoming — and remaining — a winner. Though both parents take part in rearing children, the main burden, especially in the first couple of years, remains on the mother.

            When you have children of your own, recall this conversation...

            That women are

        • The gender-disparity is mind-boggling

          Is it though? I mean, those ratios of scores seem comprable to men. That is, among men, I would assume that approx 7.5x as many men would qualify for WGM alone as GM

          • Read carefully. The still ongoing practice is to reward the GM-title to a woman winning championship among other women — the top WGM becomes a GM automatically regardless of how she'd stand against real GMs.
    • It is all too easy to dismiss inequality when you are yourself on the side that enjoys the benefits of that inequality - that is what he establishment has always done throughout history; the consequences are well documented, I think: revolutions, among other things. If you are one of those that voted for Trump, you should at least in principle have some sympathy - I say in principle, because I don't think his supporters have much understanding, in practice, for the inequality that women face.

      That women aren

    • by Kjella ( 173770 )

      So, with the equality of opportunity achieved long ago, the inequality of results is telling us something... Instead of admitting, that maybe, just maybe, there is something inherently different about the genders, these people double and triple on their dogmas.

      In chess perhaps, because nobody can stop you from playing like a world champion. But in almost every other walk of life where you depend on recognition from your peers or your potential or actual employers there can be a lot of non-legal barriers. Not to mention the social acceptance from everyone around you from colleagues, friends and family to society at large could disproportionally discourage one sex over the other.

      For example, I really doubt that a porn actress is treated the same way as a porn actor

  • by innocent_white_lamb ( 151825 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @06:44PM (#53323363)

    Black, white, yellow, green, male, female..... whatever happened to simple merit?

    • by epyT-R ( 613989 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @06:59PM (#53323415)

      It was rated ET-10: CONDEMNED by special snowflakes who never grew out of their childlike understanding of fairness.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by SirSlud ( 67381 )

      Reality has never nor will ever be a meritocracy. Sorry buddy. You are where you are in part because of your merit, and in part because of things you have no control over. Join us in reality.

      • by epyT-R ( 613989 )

        Granted, but why 'strive' for such double standards? Answer that, and you've got the real motivations for this brand of 'social justice.'

      • by rtb61 ( 674572 )

        This is worse because effectively the Duct Science Academy is saying the only way poor ineffectual women can have any impact in science is with the protection of men. If they want it they individual will seek to get it. Want more women in science they drop physics and chemistry and take up the science of fashion and gossip science talk. Reality is those females who want to make it and are capable will likely do so.

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @06:57PM (#53323407)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • by gweihir ( 88907 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @07:05PM (#53323431)

    Also, unworthy of any institution claiming to respect science. Correcting the result of an application of a metric is about the most stupid and unscientific thing possible. Any halfway competent scientist knows that.

  • by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @07:23PM (#53323511)

    The plan "does not come at men's expense," argues the academy's president, Jose van Dijck, because all the regular election rounds for membership will also still continue as planned.

    This guy is being a total Dijck.

    (Sorry, couldn't resist)

    • There's a sticking a finger in a dijk joke there somewhere but I can't for the life of me find it.

  • by SpaghettiPattern ( 609814 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @07:36PM (#53323563)

    Mansplaining.

    • Gender equality improves society as a whole and we should aspire to achieving that.
    • Preventing competition weakens the ones that are favoured as incentive to achieve is reduced.
    • Having said that, there is a tendency to appoint extremely mediocre men. Gender nepotism is what should be tackled first. Striving for a true meritocracy.
  • by aepervius ( 535155 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @08:04PM (#53323723)
    Mathematically incorrect. A plan which foresee a woman only election, if the number of member is maintained constant, can only be at the expense of the men's number. Now the obvious goal is to put more women, whether one find that good or bad is up to one's ethic and socio political feeling. But to say it won't come at men's expense is a lie. If men are excluded no matter their capacities because forcefully the number of women is increased by artificially having women's election, then you are doing at their expense. Again I am not judging whether it is right or not to do that, just that the it will come at the expense of men which would have been elected otherwise.

    The problem I have with all that is simple , I think this is the wrong approach. What we should strive for , is equality of opportunity, not equality out of outcome. Equality out of outcome is artificial and forcefully place people with lesser capacities, take the place of people of better capacity , to have a certain goal non related to their work capacity. E.g. you want a 50/50 women/men no matter how good people are, you will most probably forgoe better hire just to have a quota filled. What we should strive for is an equality of opportunity, e.g. striving to make sure your gender or race do not matter, what is your work quality should. That is an equality of opportunity. Equality of outcome are never good, they have by definition enforce a sexist selection, to get that outcome.
  • Madam Curie (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Sqreater ( 895148 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @08:35PM (#53323887)
    Madam Curie won two nobel prizes, one in chemistry (1911), one in physics.(1903). She didn't need "women's privilege" to do it. She did it the old fashioned way, she earned it. All women's privilege does in any area is debase it. But if the Dutch wish to debase their science for reasons of gender pandering and political correctness, that is their right. Too bad. They can kiss goodbye to respect for Dutch scientific achievement.
    • Re:Madam Curie (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ljw1004 ( 764174 ) on Sunday November 20, 2016 @12:51AM (#53324801)

      Madam Curie won two nobel prizes, one in chemistry (1911), one in physics.(1903). She didn't need "women's privilege" to do it. She did it the old fashioned way, she earned it. All women's privilege does in any area is debase it. But if the Dutch wish to debase their science for reasons of gender pandering and political correctness, that is their right. Too bad. They can kiss goodbye to respect for Dutch scientific achievement.

      You're doing it wrong. Science is when you respect it for its theories, their significance, their correctness. If your respect is being swayed by anything else then you're doing politics not science.

  • First, the obvious one: Rigging an election to give a group of people an advantage is not going to result in it being fair or the outcome being the best possible. But the problem is much bigger than that. Because it will accomplish exactly the opposite of its stated goal. Instead of improving the status of female scientists, it will deteriorate it. Because, well, why did they get that job? On merit? Nah. Because of the lack of dangling bits between their legs.

    Scientists are a merit-crazy bunch. Status is no

  • In order to reduce its gender imbalance, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in Amsterdam will hold special election rounds, one in 2017 and one in 2018, for which only men can be nominated.

    The plan "does not come at women's expense," argues the academy's president, Jose van Dijck, because all the regular election rounds for membership will also still continue as planned. Currently 13% of the academy's 556 members are men, a slightly higher percentage than the 10% at Germany's national science academy and the 6% in the U.K. The plan was proposed by two female board members and approved by a 73% majority, though ironically, the first male president of the U.S. National Academy of Science says "I don't think we would do that. Other people might feel that men elected this way somehow did not meet the same standards as their female counterparts, or even other men elected through the regular process."

    If it had read as edited here, feminists would be shitting blocks of osmium.

    Basically this has nothing to do with equality. This is all about "special" treatment because some selfish individuals simply can't understand that equal representation doesn't always happen, and even if it does, it takes TIME for it to percolate through every layer of society and profession.

    This hurts EVERYONE. Because it's telling people that if you can claim to be in a suitably "oppressed" segment of society, that it's perfectl

  • If we want more women in science academia, the obvious solution is to enlarge the hiring pool, which is faculty. If tenured position could be reached before menopause, it would be more attractive.

  • While this academy president thinks the plan "does not come at men's expense," argues the academy's president, Jose van Dijck" It actually does. It comes at the women's expense. They want 10 new members this year, and 6 next year. Thos members have a qualification that they must be female. That is how they will get the position - Being female. It's rather pernicious that there are 16 positions that a male is specifically and based on his gender, not allowed to get. Read TFA if you don't believe me.

    This

  • The Paralympics make sense to me. I don't think I need to get into detail about this (Including the mandatory note of an amputee running faster than a fully organic champion).

    Is that what they are saying for women in science ?

    I'm not enough of a misogynistic bastard to think it makes sense, and that's saying a lot.

    Contemplating this silly idea disqualifies the Dutch science academy from ever being taken seriously again.

  • by melted ( 227442 ) on Saturday November 19, 2016 @11:59PM (#53324627) Homepage

    And women elected in these will forever be branded as "diversity hires" and never given credit for anything, even if they deserve it. The only thing that "affirmative action" shit like this accomplishes is it creates deeply seated prejudice. It may be hidden, but it's there, and people don't forget. The only way to avoid this is by promoting strict, unyielding meritocracy.

    • by Ceaus ( 4779691 )

      The only way to avoid this is by promoting strict, unyielding meritocracy.

      Which will never happen as the academic world is a men's only world, You would be surprised if you knew the abundence of sexism, racism and paternalism in the academic world. It's appalling and we need to stop it. Read Critical Mass Theory and Women’s Political Representation [mlkrook.org] to understand why males (myself included) are the cause of this.

      • by melted ( 227442 )

        I work in a computer science research lab, and about 30% of our researchers are women. What was your point again?

  • So the 'regular' version will be men only? otherwise it's just discrimination, as why do women get their own price but men don't. Discrimination is illegal, even if it's positive discrimination, it's still discrimination.

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