Cartoon of Female Scientists Was Sexist and Offensive

To the Editor:

When I read the cartoon by Mark Litzler in your December 3 issue (Opinion), my first reaction was disbelief: I could not believe that any editor at such a well-respected publication would let this blatantly sexist cartoon make its way to final publication.

The picture of two female scientists in a laboratory is trivialized by the caption “I just got a grant to support mentoring women in science. You want to go lab-coat shopping?” It plays on every stereotype of women not being serious about academics or science. It also conveys the message that despite all the thousands of activities that women can participate in, only one truly interests them — shopping.

As assistant director of corporate, foundation, and government relations at an all-female college, I can assure you that our students are genuinely interested in the pursuit of academic excellence and have numerous stimulating things to do with their time other than to go shopping. As for our female faculty members, I am sure they did not appreciate yet another slight to their credibility as scholars in the still male-dominated academy.

Not only was the cartoon insulting to women and female scientists, it also does not reflect well on the grant-making community, which your publication seeks to support. It implies that funds awarded to grantees are generally not used for their stated purposes.

However, most grantors are intimately involved with the institutions or agencies they award money to before, during, and after the grant period. Unlike the scenario depicted in the cartoon, a funder would never permit such a reckless abandon of their grant requirements to occur.

Why is it that you wouldn’t think twice about red-flagging a cartoon that lampoons other minority groups, such as African Americans or Hispanics, yet, when it comes to gender, the awareness is so apparently lacking? I believe this speaks to how deeply ingrained our beliefs are about gender. So much so that we don’t even catch ourselves in the act of perpetuating hurtful and damaging stereotypes. I hope that Mr. Litzler rethinks his views on how much women have to contribute to society outside of being mere consumers.

Michelle M. Estes
Assistant Director
College of St. Catherine
St. Paul

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To the Editor:

We were disappointed to find Mark Litzler’s cartoon glaring back at us in the December 3 Chronicle. As a women’s-rights organization about to celebrate our 25th anniversary, we have been part of the contemporary movement to demand respect and support for the advancement of women in all areas of life.

The cartoonist’s idea of women as shoppers — not as dedicated professionals — was commonly held during Equal Rights Advocates’ early days, two-and-a-half decades ago. Today, accomplished women demonstrate their abilities in all arenas: business, law, journalism, medicine, academia, the skilled trades, and philanthropy. Everyone can think of an example from her or his own life.

But some fields of endeavor, especially science and math, continue to find women under-represented in their ranks. Programs to encourage women to enter and progress in these fields are of utmost importance. Unfortunately, Mr. Litzler’s recognition of this need refused to take such programs seriously.

We hope that in the future The Chronicle will refrain from perpetuating attitudes that demean women as equal partners in the workplace.

Dalya Massachi
Irma D. Herrera
Equal Rights Advocates
San Francisco