The Infinite Hidden Figures in Science
Women have been underrepresented and underutilized in science for centuries, but why is that? What makes men “better” at science than their female counterparts? Oreskes discusses the ideas of objectivity and heroism and their role in the female repression in science in her article, Objectivity or Heroism? On the Invisibility of Women in Science. One explanation of this is that women are not objective enough to give valuable scientific findings. Oreskes writes, “[…] then the articulation of nature through the lens of a fully detached observer is a gender-laden concept, at adds with the understanding of the world that females develop through their primary affective experience,” (Oreskes, 88). Her argument, however, is that women actually are objective in their scientific discoveries, or at least some are, but that the reason women are not getting the credit that they deserve is because of heroism. The story of how these findings were made is an important aspect of getting the recognition that one would need, and often times, the story involves long, late hours working, away from the family and kids. Oreskes uses this example at the end of her article, explaining an example of Tracy Sonneborn and how his discovery was made at midnight. This was a tale meant to encourage other scientists to follow in these footsteps, as long as they could make the personal sacrifices. Oreskes writes, “Midnight is the hour of uninterrupted work. But if the scientist in the story were a woman, with children alone at home, would we still admire her dedication?” (Oreskes, 111). Oreskes is claiming that because of the way that scientific heroism is valued by the story of the discoveries, paired with societal values of the woman needing to be at home with the family and her children, all contributes to how women struggle to make these findings and are supported by the scientific community for them.
Oreskes discusses the gender inequalities in science, yet Hidden Figures discusses the racial inequalities. Similarly to women’s roles at home, African Americans in the 60s had a “place” in society and were expected to abide by that role. More specifically, these women in the movie had roles within NASA as computers, and that’s all they were expected to do and they were not to overstep any of their white counterparts. Hidden Figures was about how these women pushed their boundaries and fought for change within NASA. They fought their way into the space task group, gaining recognition as the genius among geniuses within that room and heading up the mathematics that would bring John Glenn safely back home. They fought to become the first African American to attend an all-white high school for classes to become the first African American engineer at NASA. And they fought to become the first African American advisor in NASA, heading up a group that would be in charge of the new IBM. These women all did spectacular things that helped to break down the racial barrier within NASA and within the community. They were able to establish themselves as notable figures within the scientific community, regardless of their race or gender and we can learn to respect that any race and any gender is able to do the science, given the right opportunities.
Oreskes’ ideas on how women are not getting the proper recognition in science go hand in hand with the Vice article discussing how there was an added white, male hero into the narrative, helping Katherine Johnson get some of the recognition, as well as some equality within the office during the movie. Although this film is based on a true story, yet is not completely true, the filmmakers made the decision to add in a white hero to take some of the credit away from the women. They take away from Katherine the fact that she stood up for herself in just going into the white bathroom in the first place, she did not run across campus every day to use the restroom. She was a strong woman herself and did not need the white male to make these decisions for her. The filmmakers added in this additional hero to prove that there are some good white characters who will fight racism, which there were. But does the addition of these falsified scenes take away from the strength of the women? The name of the film implies it all, they were hidden, not given the recognition they deserve until years later, and they are not the only women and minorities that still have not been recognized for their work.
Hidden Figures[Video file]. (n.d.).
Oreskes, N. (1996). Objectivity or Heroism? On the Invisibility of Women in Science. Osiris,11, 87–113. doi:10.1086/368756
Oscar-nominated “Hidden Figures” was whitewashed — but it didn’t have to be. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.vice.com/en/article/d3xmja/oscar-nominated-hidden-figures-was-whitewashed-but-it-didnt-have-to-be
