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SCIENCE

Scientist angers CERN with ‘offensive’ address on women and science

Europe's physics lab CERN on Monday disavowed a lecture by an invited scientist who claimed physics was "built by men", and accused women of demanding specialist jobs without suitable qualifications.

Scientist angers CERN with 'offensive' address on women and science
the Globe of Science and Innovation at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Meyrin, near Geneva. Photo: AFP

The presentation by Alessandro Strumia of Pisa University was delivered Friday at the Geneva lab during a workshop on the relationship between high energy theory and gender. 

The presentation — which includes various slides, charts and graphs — appears to suggest that men face discrimination in the field of physics. 

One pictorial series suggests that women line up to take gender studies and then later protest over a lack of jobs in stem fields, an umbrella term that covers areas like chemistry and engineering. 

“Physics invented and built by men, it's not by invitation,” one slide says. 

“CERN considers the presentation delivered by an invited scientist during a workshop on High Energy Theory and Gender as highly offensive,” the lab said in a statement.  

“It has therefore decided to remove the slides from the online repository, in line with a Code of Conduct that does not tolerate personal attacks and insults.”  

CERN, the French acronym for the European Centre for Nuclear Research, is for the first time being led by a female director general: Fabiola Gianotti, an Italian expert in experimental particle physics, took charge in 2016. 

The lab has said that despite efforts to close its own gender gap females still account for less than 20 percent of staff.

The lab notes that it has backed initiatives aimed at boosting female participation in the sciences. 

“Diversity is a strong reality at CERN, and is also one of the core values underpinning our Code of Conduct,” the statement said. 

“The Organisation is fully committed to promoting diversity and equality at all levels.”

READ ALSO: 14 fascinating facts about the history of women’s rights in Switzerland

SEXISM

Switzerland labelled a ‘pimp state’ for its attitude towards prostitution

Switzerland has been blasted as being a "pimp state" for its laws around prostitution, in a special UN report set to be released on Friday.

Switzerland labelled a 'pimp state' for its attitude towards prostitution

Reem Alsalem, the UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, was set to present her annual report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today.

In it, she is particularly critical of Switzerland’s stance on prostitution, which is not only legal in the country, but also treated like any other service industry.

Alsalem said this approach has led to a “significant increase in foreign women” engaged in prostitution in the country, calling Switzerland a “pimp state” which benefits from taxes levied on sex workers and brothels.

In response, PROCORE, the national network for the rights of sex workers, countered that prostitution, as it is practiced in Switzerland, cannot be equated with violence and coercion.

READ ALSO: Five things that reveal Switzerland’s unique attitude to prostitution

Prostitution has been legal in Switzerland since 1942, though, like everything else in this country, it is heavily regulated.

However, the rules are intended to protect sex workers and allow them to work freely — that is, to rule out any attempts by third parties at foul play (read more about this below).

Today, there are more than 20,000 prostitutes of all genders registered in Switzerland.

Interestingly, the trend in this ‘profession’ mirrors the one observed in the country’s labour market in general: because of the high earning potential, Switzerland is a mecca for foreign sex workers, mostly from South America, Eastern Europe, and EU nations.

All of them are considered to be self-employed contractors and can choose venues where to ply their trade, such as brothels, clubs, or streets.

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