Xn

Women can’t have anything just for women.

She doesn’t say where this is, so I tried Google: the only two institutions named are UCL and the University of Washington Bothell – Bothell being a suburb a few miles northeast of Seattle. UW Bothell doesn’t have the status or fame or infrastructure of the UW itself, which is in Seattle. I’m guessing UCL is the more likely culprit, being much less obscure than a suburban branch of a west coast state university. That’s just a guess though.

So let’s get acquainted with UCL Womxn in STEM Society:

KCL Womxn in STEM (WiSTEM) was founded in 2015 by a group of students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) departments.

We are a network of students, professionals, academics, and researchers who aim to support underrepresented people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

But then why call it Womxn in STEM? That suggests women, not people. Why not call it People in STEXM? Or Underrepresented People in STEM?

The root causes of the gender disparity are diverse and intersectional and require a multifaceted approach to continue to improve the situation in STEM. 

The gender disparity? So they do mean women? But then why call it Womxn in STEM and why say it’s for underrepresented people?

Our aims include:

– To support and encourage all intersections of women and non-binary people in STEM to continue their career in academia.

Ah specificity at last – it’s “womxn” because of non-binary people. But why? Why include men who call themselves non-binary? Why take something that was for women, because women are underrepresented, and make it also for men who claim to be “non-binary” – a descriptor that doesn’t mean anything? Why can’t it just be for women? It’s not as if women are a small and trivial group.

And what are intersections of women? Or intersections of women and non-binary people? And why does this group think they need encouragement and support?

– To recognise and raise voices of all women and non-binary people in STEM including people of colour, trans people, people with disabilities, people holding religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, sexuality.

So it’s for everyone. Anyone and everyone can tick at least one of those boxes – everyone for sure has an economic status and probably a sexuality.

– Educating the wider university community about the issues faced by women and non-binary folk in STEM

Just woman and non-binary folk? What about the people who have an economic status? What about the folk who have a sexuality?

Tragically stupid.

9 Responses to “Xn”