Development of the HPV vaccine
It turns out that all three of the scientists who collaborated on developing the HPV vaccine were women. I hadn't read this anywhere until yesterday. And sure, it's always good to think that the gender of the scientist doesn't matter and that it's a good thing when it isn't even considered worthy of comment anymore.
On the other hand, when you have the (ex) president of Harvard opining in front of an audience of scientists, male and female, that women don't go on in science because they just aren't as good at it really, and other morons claiming that women can't do Really Serious Stuff - in science, or the arts, or anything else - because they 'can't innovate' (read: 'aren't smart enough") - although they're really very good at routine tasks like handling child care, or routine (never gourmet) cooking, or housekeeping, or clerical work for the real men who are doing the REally Serious Innovative Breakthrough type things - well, in fact I don't think we have moved on as far as all that, after all.
I think that maybe we DO need to mention all the things women do as artists and scientists and writers and in every other category of inspired and innovative work. To make sure that men and women both know that anyone who spews condescending nonsense like "oh women aren't innovative (smart) enough to do X" are talking through their - well, their hats. To be polite. And can immediately be contradicted by a thousand or a million counter-examples.
Let's put it the other way. When women are routinely burdened with all the routine work, the cooking and housekeeping and childcare and clerical crap, it's amazing that they nevertheless find the time and energy to do all the brilliant innovative stuff too. And yet they do.
So, congratulations, Drs. Laura Koutsky, Kathryn Jansen, and Nancy Kiviat (who collaborated in the early studies). Great work, and may you inspire a million like you.
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