Root Gorelick’s title for his 2012 BioScience article exposes the nearly universal bias in how we describe and illustrate meiosis. “[T]extbooks beautifully describe meiosis in males and meiosis in isogamous taxa, in which there is only one size of gametes. But these textbooks fail to describe meiosis in females in anisogamic taxa, in which there… Read More “Meiosis is not gender neutral”
Sari van Anders’ research in social neuroendocrinology challenges widely-held assumptions about the roles of so-called sex hormones. For instance, a common misunderstanding is that levels of sex steroids are sexually dimorphic. In fact, mean levels of estradiol and progesteroneare similar in women and men (van Anders 2010). As for testosterone, “A lifetime of gender socialization… Read More Partner cuddling: testosterone plays a role
This is a 2009 cartoon of genital development from a human embryology textbook. At least 4 components are misleading. 1) As illustrated, the neutral genital tubercle becomes a phallus (usually a gendered term) by 9 weeks but other regions are not gendered. 2) Other reproductive regions obtain gendered names at 12 weeks but… Read More Misleading diagram of genital development
Here are questions we posed in the abstract for the round table panel — What are the key gaps in our knowledge regarding female reproduction? How can we bridge these gaps? Where might ignoring the female perspective result in misguided conclusions? ex: estrogen and aggression. What terminology is biased or otherwise antiquated and promotes misleading… Read More Questions for Round Table Panel
List of speakers with links to the abstracts (the abstract links will take you to SICB website) 07:45 ORR, TJ*; HAYSSEN, V: Introduction 08:00 HAYSSEN, V: Misconceptions about Conception and Other Fallacies: Historical Bias in Reproductive Biology 08:30 HOOK, KA*; FISHER, HS: The importance of female reproductive traits: from mice to seed beetles 09:00 SIROT, L.K.: Opportunities for Female Modulation of Seminal Fluid… Read More Speaker Program: times and titles
Hovertext has been added to each term such that mousing-over its text will provide context for why it is biased or neutral. All excerpts are from “Reproduction in Mammals: The Female Perspective” by Teri J. Orr and Virginia Hayssen. Historical Term Gender-neutral or ♀ term Anatomy Primordial phallus Genital tubercle Female phallus, female penis Enlarged… Read More Gender-neutral terminology
and why is that perspective important? Although commonly considered passive players, female animals possess extraordinary control over their reproduction using diverse mechanisms. They regulate major aspects of mating and conception as well as offspring survival, growth, and development. Yet, historically, the female perspective has been given short shrift. Why? Nearly 150 years ago, in 1875,… Read More What is the female perspective?
Max Lambert and Melina Packer report on the language used to describe the effects of endocrine-disrupting contaminants on amphibians. Much of the media attention on the effects of these pollutants fixates on reproduction consequences and often uses imprecise language. Our use of language, even some scientific terminology, brings in cultural bias. For instance, as Lambert and… Read More How gendered language leads scientists astray
Fighting the Gender Stereotypes That Warp Biomedical Research JoAnna Klein (NY Times, May 2019) reported that just added females to research studies without examining the underlying historic biases that caused females to be neglected in research will not improve the science. Instead we need to ‘stop looking through a male lens’. She continues ‘In the… Read More Fighting the Gender Stereotypes that Warp Biomedical Research
Kathi Borgmann provides a useful timeline of prominent women in North American Ornithology, but not until after she provides a brief but entertaining foray into the Victorian ara fervor over Darwin’s theory of sexual selection. Here are just 2 notable quotes: “Seldom or never does the female exert any choice. She is not the awarder… Read More The Forgotten Female: How a Generation of Women Scientists Changed Our View of Evolution
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