There are many women writing about science, but their names are rarely on the shelf or on the short list of the Royal Society Science Book PrizeI could not do a little 'disappointed with the list announced last week for the 2011 Prize of the Royal Society of Sciences Books Winton. By Alex Bellos mathematical poetic adventure tours Sat Kean are the chemical elements, is an inspiring collection of good books deserve. But again, all the authors are men.
He asked me how many women have been nominated for this prestigious award since its inception in 1988. A quick look at the company's website shows that of 144 nominated books - six per year over 24 years - only nine women, with two other people who had a woman as the second author, including a husband and wife. For these authors, women, won a (husband and wife).
Dava Sobel was one of nine finalists for the length, in 1997, but none of his later books - Galileo's daughter, who was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize - has been for a long time, even on the list. Rebecca Skloot immortal life of Henrietta Lacks, an international bestseller and certainly by far the best popular science book last year was not even in the long list. As for the English authors, has Gabrielle Walker, who wrote some famous books, including the Snowball Earth, has no place in the list either.
In each of these cases, it might be a good reason why a book was not recognized. Much depends on the individual tastes of judges each year. In fact, the statistics - only 5% of the books selected by the authors with a list of a woman in the last five years (I saw that ask) - show that there is a problem, are discussed.
But what's the problem? It 'possible that the judges are books written by men of prejudice, but I see no trace of her. The panel includes many of the women have always, and I'm sure he would be able to recognize a wide range of authors.
A quick look at the shelves of my own, suggests that most of the work will be shown to the court to do so. Of perhaps a hundred popular books in my study, only five women writers are represented, the majority of Americans: Rebecca Skloot, Dava Sobel, Mary Roach, Lisa Randall and Gabrielle Walker (as Natasha Walter, when the section is included in his brilliant science Paper dolls of life).
Angela Saini, author of the nation recently geek, you probably should be there. By Martin Rees and Richard Dawkins, Matt Ridley and Nick Lane - - literally fall from the shelves, but I think the difficulty is certainly more British women writers of science-names, while the names of famous men surprised.
This does not apply to the lack of women writing about science. When I took a course in science communication at Imperial College for more than a decade, we are often asked why so many of us (about 25 in a class of 30) were women. I have both for the magazine New Scientist and Nature, where the gender balance of authors and publishers is the same. Women are also represented at the annual ceremony, the Association of British Science Writers.
Therefore, these talented women choose not to write books? They find it difficult to address book? His books are less severe when taken are published? Thurs science writers tend to move in later books of his career, when women often have career goals in second place in the nursery?
Similar problems are all areas where women are underrepresented in the highest levels found, but with books so important for science to a popular audience, I think it's important to do well here.
If all the books of science, perhaps the Royal Society has decided to build, then they must ensure the promotion and enhancement of books to as many authors, with the largest number of entries. These include ethnic minorities, too. It 'impossible to tell from the list of names submitted online, how many are white, but the authors I know, almost.
I am not suggesting that courts should not second-class books on sex or race of the reward of their author. But maybe I could have books that are not eligible to register to search - including those for the treatment of science in an unconventional way, such as dolls of life and the immortal life of Henrietta Lacks - and invite the authors to write and not aa only the selection of books dominated by men before them.
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