March 1, 2019, by jicke

Lecture on ‘How Science Got Women Wrong’ from award-winning broadcaster and journalist

Award-winning science journalist Angela Saini is giving a special lecture on International Women’s Day, 8 March, where she will discuss science’s failure to understand women.

Angela Saini is an award-winning science journalist and broadcaster. She regularly presents science programmes for the BBC, and her writing has appeared in New Scientist, the Guardian, The Times, and Wired. Her latest book, Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, was published in 2017 to widespread critical acclaim, and was named the Physics World Book of the Year.

During the lecture Angela will talk about her journey to uncover science’s failure to understand women and her findings that we’re still living with the legacy of an establishment that’s just beginning to recover from centuries of entrenched exclusion and prejudice. There will also be a 20-minute Q & A session with Angela at the end of the lecture.

In an article for The Guardian, Angela said: “I call my book ammunition. There are people out there who insist that somehow the inequalities we see in society are not just because of historic discrimination, but also because of biology – the idea that there are factors within us that will cause men or women to be better at some things than others.”

Professor Philip Moriarty said: “Angela Saini’s Inferioris an exceptionally important and influential book; her systematic (and thoroughly entertaining) debunking of age-old myths about gender differences should be required reading for every scientist. I am delighted that Angela will be speaking here in the School of Physics & Astronomy on International Women’s Day to highlight how science has got women wrong, and to explain just how that’s being put right.”

International Women’s Day (IWD) has been celebrated annually on 8 Marchsince first gathering in 1911 – it’s a day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women whilst marking a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

To celebrate International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March 2019, we have a combination of cross university events, specialist events led by faculties and an online celebration of inspirational women taking place throughout March.

The lecture is free to attend and is taking place at 6pm in B1 in the Physics Building.

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