At last week's meeting of science journalists in South Korea, British Nobel prizewinner Tim Hunt expressed jaw-dropping and belittling sentiments about women in the laboratory. He proved that 1950s sexism is still alive and kicking.
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Professor Sir Tim Hunt is a world-famous British biologist having devoted his life to the study of cells, and in the early 80s he was looking at some sea urchins when he made a breakthrough. He discovered cyclins — crucial proteins that help with cell development.
Having won just about every award known to homage a great science mind, just last week following a light-hearted, off-the-cuff speech to some scientific journalists, the 72-year-old’s career was shot down.
So what did hey say? What earth shattering statement that made the suffragettes quiver in their graves, was said?
According to the many media outlets that jumped on the issue like ravenous wolves, he believes he was speaking flippantly and ironically about men and women working together in the lab.
Cough, splutter, clearing his throat, he said;
“Let me tell you about my trouble with girls.
“Three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticize them, they cry.”
While it's tempting to feel progress has stalled, it's not time to resign all of our inhibitions of equality, and go back to greeting our husbands at the door with a cold alcoholic beverage, shoe polish and a cupcake. I can’t help but imagine a scene play out with a professor Farnsworth from Futurama or Professor Frink from the Simpsons, both utterly ridiculous and unnoteworthy.
When we think about workplace creeps, we tend to picture that guy who grabs butts behind closed doors (yes, those men do exist). There is the odd guy who makes inappropriate remarks, and come to think of it, I know plenty of girls that do exactly the same thing.
Sir Hunt was promptly dismissed - or resigned - from his post at UCL, and he said that he felt 'hung out to dry' by those who took exception to his comments, which he insisted were a 'joke'.
I don’t condone sexism. I also don’t condone the prosecution of an entire gender because of the mistakes of a single man. Are our future female chemists and biologists really going to think twice about these words? Where is the line where the punishment no longer fits the crime? Or does the resignation directly portray women as victims?
Among the barrage of outrage, some have suggested that Hunt has been unfairly demonised and unjustly punished. Having never been accused of any other sexist behaviour, how can we prosecute someone for a slip of the tongue.
In the same breath, to fob off these comments as a ‘joke’ means we have sidestepped around the layered way in which misogyny works. Belief reflects action.
Just like we condemn our sportsmen when they misbehave or act inappropriately, we must condemn men like Tim Hunt.
Do some butt grabbing and grey coloured jokes. In the end we shall shake our heads and sigh, boys will be boys. And really women have no sense or humour.
