Beth T. sent us this picture of some books for sale at the NASA John Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. I found some more at the website. They nicely illustrate the gendering of jobs. Only because we implicitly think that zoologists, oceanographers, paleontologists, and architects are men, is it necessary to modify the term with “woman.”





Comments 57
Dubi — October 27, 2008
They're simply aimed at girls, trying to get more girls to take an interest in science. Surely you're not complaining about THAT. It's not that we implicitly think of anything, it's that, as a statistical fact, less girls take up sciences than do boys, and these books are a part of an effort to change this.
I would find an analysis of what's IN the books more interesting than just this comment about the fact that they exist.
Lisa Wade, PhD — October 27, 2008
Dubi,
My goal isn't to inspire outrage. The post isn't supposed to make you mad. I just thought it was a nice illustration of how jobs are gendered.
anon — October 27, 2008
Right. You wouldn't find, after all, a book called "You Can Be A Woman Nurse," or "You Can Be a Woman Schoolteacher." Just like you wouldn't see "You Can Be a Man Doctor," or "You Can Be a Man Engineer." The qualifiers in both these examples sound weird--especially "man."
Anonymous — October 27, 2008
Right, we don't implicitly think of anything. Like when I say 'doctor' or 'scientist' the person who comes to your mind isn't male. And these books aren't completely playing into that by calling themselves what they do, and not something like "You Can Be An Engineer: A Book For Girls." Pull the other one.
I am constantly astounded about how most of the readers of this blog seem to disagree with its basic stance on the world, and how little the bloggers seem to do to curb the ignorance in the comment threads.
Will — October 27, 2008
I can't be a woman engineer. At least, not without hormone therapy and a lot of expensive surgery. Who comes up with these titles?
Sylvia — October 27, 2008
Am I the only one who finds these titles ludicrously nonsensical? Objectionable, yes, but also completely bizarre.
When I read "You Can Be A...", my default image of a paleantologist or architect or oceanographer *is* female, probably because I am female. If they are talking about what I can grow up to be, then the eventual grown-up will be a woman, just as my childhood self was a girl. Presumably a boy would plan to grow up to be a male version (assuming gender continuity for the people in my example.)
Of course, that initial idea has to be backed up by equal representation of both sexes in the illustrations and text, but explicit gendering is attempting to correct a problem that doesn't exist in my mind and probably doesn't exist in the minds of most children. Maybe we should go back to the children's books written in the 80's, because apparently they avoided some gender pitfalls when they molded me.
Alexandra — December 16, 2009
These books exist today? In real life? For children to read?
That is quite bizarre. Because when I see "You can be a woman engineer" I think of someone who is somehow engineering women--like a Dr. Frankenstein type. Weird.
Why wouldn't they just put pictures of women doing these things on the cover, like a woman unearthing dinosaurs? Did no one think of that?
Also, I always think of women when I think of zoologists because of that "Gorillas in the Mist" gal. I can't even think of any male zoologists, actually.
What a weird thing.
De-gendering Mechanical Work at Sears » Sociological Images — April 23, 2010
[...] women need hotel rooms?, high heels and professionalism, feminizing uniforms with pink accessories, you can be a “woman zoologist”!, objectifying women in aviation ads, and a woman can be anything as long as she’s [...]
Elizabeth — February 27, 2013
From Editor's Choice Review: "Cohen helps girls to see that the skills that females usually acquire
(the preciseness that is required in following a recipe, the ability
to visualize what is required for sewing), are among the ones needed
to be a good engineer."
I feel physically ill.
Radek Piskorski — March 18, 2013
I never knew I could be a woman zoologist! Is that like a biologist that does Discovery Channel documentaries about women? Does he follow women to the bathroom in a jeep while wearing khakis to document their behavior in their natural habitat? Kewl!
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annakema — September 7, 2025
The only thing they're attempting to do is encourage more girls to be interested in science. You must be kidding me if you're grousing about THAT. Not because we subconsciously consider anything, but because there is statistical evidence that girls are less likely to pursue STEM fields than boys, and these books are an attempt to remedy that.
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When I saw the book 'You Can Be a Woman Engineer', I immediately thought of Dr. Frankenstein engineering women. It's amazing these books still exist Flux 2
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Image 2 — May 2, 2026
I was struck by the 2008 photo from NASA's own bookstore – titles like 'woman paleontologist' really highlight the implicit bias Image 2
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It's kinda silly we need to say "woman doctor" or "woman scientist" like it's a special kind. Kids should just grow up knowing anyone can be a zoologist or astronaut, no matter if they're a boy or a girl. Play Minesweeper Plus
Flux2 — June 15, 2026
It’s kinda silly when you stop and think about it—like, we don’t say “man doctor” or “man astronaut,” right? Really makes you wonder why we add “woman” to jobs, as if a lady scientist is a different kind of scientist. Use Flux 2
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It’s kinda funny and sad at the same time—like, why do we need to say “woman doctor” but never “man doctor”? It’s like our brains have a default setting that’s all wrong. Play Peggy's Post
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My kid saw this and said, "So if a boy was a nurse, would it say 'man nurse'?" Made me think about how we say "lady doctor" but never "man doctor." Use Novatools
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My kid saw this and said, "So if a boy was a nurse, would it say 'man nurse'?" Made me think about how we say "lady doctor" but never "man doctor." Use Novatools
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Wow, I never thought about it like that! It’s kinda funny and sad that we need to say “woman astronaut” but not “man astronaut”—like we think the normal one is a boy. Use GptDetect
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Reveedo — June 15, 2026
Wow, that’s a really good point. It’s like when people say “lady doctor” or “male nurse” – it kinda shows we still think some jobs are just for boys or just for girls. Makes you wonder why we can’t just say “scientist” or “architect” for everyone! Use Reveedo Generate images and videos
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It's funny how adding "woman" makes it sound like a special, rare version of the job, like a "ladybug" instead of just a bug. Kids should know that a zoologist is a zoologist, no matter who they are! Use Image to Image
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