Science & Tech

Astronomer calls scientists 'boys with toys'. Big mistake

Astronomer calls scientists 'boys with toys'. Big mistake

Astronomer Shrinivas Kulkarn, a professor at the California Institute of Technology, was being interviewed by NPR when he made the mistake of likening scientists to "boys with toys".

He said:

We astronomers are supposed to say, 'We wonder about the stars and we really want to think about it'.

Many scientists, I think, secretly are what I call 'boys with toys'. I really like playing around with telescopes. It's just not fashionable to admit it.

While this throwaway, casual sexism is depressing, the response by female scientists and engineers was anything but. We proudly present the hashtag #girlswithtoys:

HT The Verge

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