Gender Sidelining

STEM presents a long history of women being marginalized and sidelined. The work of female scientists is often dismissed or credited to male scientists (Fink 2018). Esther Lederberg is a prime example of both of these situations, with her work being uncredited and dismissed (see Academic Career). 

Another prominent form of female scientists' marginalization is unfairness in their appointments and academic standing (Fink 2018). In the case of Esther, we see the failure of Stanford to appoint her, despite her qualifications (Ferrell 2018). 

Female scientists are frequently dismissed from and deemed incapable of succeeding in scientific fields (Fink 2018). In Esther's case, this is observed in her early education, where she was discouraged from pursuing a degree in biochemistry since she would not have the same career opportunities as men (Schaechter 2016). 

As a result of these sidelining activities, women have relatively few female role models to look up to in STEM fields. These inequalities are still seen today, as women face a greater difficulty of being admitted to research, score lower on peer reviews, and receive letters of recommendation that stand out less than their male colleagues (Fink 2018). 

In today's society, there are laws in place attempting to mitigate these discriminatory acts, specifically those of denying positions based on gender (Fink 2018). Unfortunately, Esther did not have such laws to protect her. Nevertheless, her determination propelled her to make groundbreaking research despite the setbacks. Esther is an excellent role model for women in STEM, as she faced tremendous hardships as a woman who was sidelined in science.