Last month, Nature (subscribers only) reported on a study from physicist Sherry Towers on sexism in science. Looking at a cohort of particle physics postdocs working at Fermilab, she compared productivity and employment outcomes. The results speak for themselves: the women were three times as productive as the men, but were assigned more scutwork and allocated only a third as many conference presentations (vital for academic advancement). This had a statistically significant effect on their employment outcomes.
This solid statistical evidence of gender discrimination is disturbing enough, but even more disturbing was the reaction. Towers was abused, accused of fabricating her data, and subjected to the usual internet stalking. People dug up her home address, sent her hate mail, and promised to dig up "dirt" on her. In other words, par for the course for any woman who speaks out on the internet. So much for science as a rational, evidence-based discussion.
(Hat tip: New Scientist)
