The Sisterhood of Chemists and Comedians

I give props to all of you English majors out there; it’s only week three of these blogs and I’m starting to run out of ideas to post about. For those of you who don’t know me very well, I am a biochemistry major here at Shepherd. That being said, I don’t have a strong drive to write nor is there much writing in my field of study (minus the ten-page lab reports). To be honest, I am only really taking this course because I couldn’t miss out on another class with Dr. H. This is the second semester in a row that I’ve had with her and even more importantly, the second time her class is directly after organic chemistry. Her classes have truly been one of the biggest stress relievers all year (thanks Dr. H).

I remember my freshmen orientation in the summer of 2018 very well. We were separated by majors and placed into a classroom together where we would be presented with an introduction to our courses and professors. As I walked into the room, I noticed that I was the only female student. I was the only female student (in that orientation) who was a chemistry major. That being said, I can say that I can relate to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler when it comes to our (or my soon to be) careers. Fey writes in her book Bossypants about the tribulations she and Poehler went through as they were starting out their careers. In one scenario, there was a demand that four men and two women were in a show. She writes that “when it was suggested that they switch one of the companies to three men and three women, the producers and directors has the same panicked reaction…this made no sense to me, probably because I speak English and have never had a head injury” (Fey 87).  Since women are seen as unfunny, or at least less funny than men, their roles in comedy jobs are not as significant. Their success is questioned or judged more often than being applauded for. In the field of comedy, women just aren’t as respected as men are and it creates another challenge for working women.

Women face similar problems in the many STEM fields as female comedians face in theirs. I found a list with just a few challenges that females face in the workplace. One challenge states that “If you work in a STEM field, you might work mainly or exclusively with men. You may find it difficult to be accepted as part of the group. There's legal help if you face sexual harassment or discrimination in hiring and pay” (website). I was shocked to see the word “sexual harassment” placed in the bullet so coolly, but the point is that most STEM women face the same problems comedian women do. They work in a field that is dominated by the male gender and tend to have a harder time surviving amongst their opposing gender. I’m sure that no matter what, women will always tend to be pushed into a certain direction regarding their lives (so are men, unfortunately). I hope that these issues are settled out and that equality can finally be a quality of the world we live in.