Kate Clancy, PhD

Thursday, March 17th 2011

Science Online 2011: Perils of blogging as a woman under a real name

If you haven’t seen it yet, or just want to relive it, our women in science blogging panel is now available for viewing:

[vimeo 20945205 w=400 h=225]

Perils of Blogging as a Woman under a Real Name from Smartley-Dunn on Vimeo.

Key highlights: when I told the audience about how I squatted over a toilet to birth my baby. Oh, there was also a lot of great feminism in there too.

This is the panel that inspired this post, and then these great posts.

4 Comments

1. PhD Journey: fire, kids, erosion said:

   Interesting topic. I often wondered about being so open about my life and science. I was glad to hear about how we need risk takers. Fingers crossed my experience stays friendly enough. I was subject to identity fraud way before I started blogging and facebook. Obviously as a real name blogger I think twice before I publish.

2. Cindy said:

   Thank you for posting this! It's been wonderful listening as I chug through some mindless work this Friday afternoon.

   A lot of the issues raised resonated with me as a female scientist and as a female (non-science) blogger.

3. Elaine Westwick said:

   Thank you – great to be able to hear all the discussion.

   A related point – it’s hard enough for those working full time in science to fit blogging into their lives, but it is even tougher for people who also have a “second shift” – children and household work.

   It tends to be women who organise the kids in the morning and after school, who take ultimate responsibility for the house running smoothly, who take time off to look after the kids when they are young.

   I wonder how much this is an impediment to women scientists blogging – many women are just about holding everything together by maintaining a science job and bringing up a family, there is simply not time to blog about it all too. It's sad that unequal division of labour in the home can prevent women’s voices from being heard.

   Finally, as per the discussion about women and self promotion – my blog is here:
   http://elainewestwick.blogspot.com/

4. KBHC said:

   Thanks, all, for your comments! Elaine, I hear you. With women more likely to be working the second shift, it's hard to fit in a third shift in blogging. When my workload is heavy my blogging suffers big-time. And my workload is high right now!