A group of 40 female paleontologists have started donning beards as a trend in the “male-dominated” field of dinosaur investigation.
Scientists are joining an endeavor started by photographer Kelsey Vance, filmmaker Lexi Marsh, and paleontologist Dr. Ellen Currano called the “Bearded Lady Project” to highlight gender disparity in paleontology, and show that the field also includes women.
The Geological Society of America has noted that participation by women has increased tremendously over the past century. Women comprised only 2% of authors in 1969, but now make up over 40% of senior contributors and contributed to 58% of abstracts in 2014. According to the scientific society, the increased participation occurred due to collaboration, rather than the replacement of men.
Quartz interviewed interviewed Ellen Currano, the main subject of the project, who admitted that she had never actually experienced “overt” discrimination as a woman in the field.
The same article regurgitates the now-debunked claim that “sexism in science is nothing new,” citing a gaffe by Nobel Award-winning scientist Tim Hunt as an example of misogyny in recent years.
Hunt was falsely accused of making sexist remarks at a conference for women, and it ultimately cost him his career.
A Heat Street investigation discovered that his statements were taken widely out of context and used to defame him.
Currano, an assistant professor at the University of Wyoming, said that while she wasn’t discriminated against, she has been subjected to “slights her male colleagues don’t have to suffer, like being interrupted or mansplained in a professional setting.”
“It’s little things adding up—death by a thousand paper cuts,” she said. “You’re sitting in a faculty meeting, and you have an idea and everyone ignores you, and then your male colleague says the same thing and it’s the most amazing idea.”
Currano also objected to being erroneously referred to as “Mrs.” instead of “Dr.” on some occasions while mentoring paleontology students. She also noted that men with equal qualifications were asked to participate on more projects than she was.
Besides wanting to create a supportive community for women, she hopes the project will educate male paleontologists and help them recognize when they’re being subtly sexist, and find ways to make women feel more accepted in the field.
Despite her complaints, Currano says that she’s worked with “some amazing male mentors and colleagues over the years who have been supportive and encouraging.”
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.