Professor Blackburn is 60 now, the remark was made early in her tertiary education, which would make it, say, about 40 years ago? I suppose that kind of attitudes was quite common and acceptable back then? Wouldn't suprise me if the family friend was a woman herself. On Radio National this morning, Professor Blackburn said she was already determined to study science even before that remark. Good for her :-)

I beg your pardon, Sophie, I misread you entirely, sorry. Yes, you are right, the headline itself is sexist.

Your comment is very pertinent, Simon. As you say, it's a comment from forty years ago (probably) which made sense back then. To run that as the headline now, when an Australian woman has finally won a Nobel Prize, is what offends me. It's fine in the body of the article.

THAT STINKS. Can't believe I didn't read the headline, I am usually half awake when I am slurping my first cuppa and reading the front page, but that's unforgivably slack of me.

I did see what the 'friend' said though. Thanks for the heads-up, off to see what Margaret says now.

Honestly, I'm as grumpy a feminist as the next woman, but I do not see that this headline is wrong. It seems clear to me that the writer is drawing attention -immediately the story starts- to the attitudes Professor Blackburn has overcome.

Really? I suppose I just look at it and see that instead of celebration, or congratulations, the positioning of the article is about her gender and associated problems. LIke I said, I didn't have a problem with these things being discussed in the article itself. Maybe I'm a grumpier feminist than I realized. I'm curious to know what others think.

I read the article and didn't take much notice of the headline, but I see now that it is sexist. In discussing it on the ABC today, there was more excitement about whether we can still claim her as an Aussie (we can, because she is diligent in visiting and promoting science here in Australia) than noting her gender.

I read the article and didn't take any notice of the headline, but I see now that it is sexist. On the ABC today they were more interested in whether we can claim her as Australian, seeing she works in the US. (We can, because she is diligent in visiting, maintaining her Australian links and supporting science here.)

Does citizenship come with visiting requirements?

In contrast, these are the headlines in today's Australian: "A Nobel calling - Following in the footsteps of greatness" and "A Nobel pursuit".

My daughter is way too young to understand irony, let alone appreciate it. I know I would much prefer her to see The Australian's headlines.

There wouldn't be any need to argue if we can still claim her as an Australian if Australia could provide an envrionment for her to do the work that she wanted to do. She said in an interview that she probably couldn't have done the research that won her the Nobel if she had stayed here.

We clamour to claim scientists when they have made good, but we call everyone else boffins (The Age frequently uses this word), nerds or geeks. I keep wondering what kind of message my young daughter is getting about being good at science.

Anyone who's old enough to read is old enough to appreciate irony.

Are you serious, Betty?

But don't you think, Betty, that as the father of a daughter, it would be better for her to read, say, the Australian's headline? You don't think it's problematic that the first woman in science to receive this award is positioned thus by the headline of the cover of the paper? And while you are right about kids ability to read irony, does irony make it okay?

(a)No, (b)possibly, and (c)it doesn't make it okay or not okay: it's surprisingly neutral.

It was a slightly odd way to approach the story, certainly, but not as heinous as people are making out. The daughter will take away the salient facts which are that professor Blackburn is a woman and she did win the Nobel Prize. In fact I apprised of these over breakfast and she took the news calmly, because I don't think it's ever occurred to her that there's any reason why that wouldn't happen.

mmm my son thinks I have overreacted too. Says it was just a jokey thing. My convictions were clearly not very strong to begin with, I guess I do appreciate irony after all.

I think Simon's point is important. In Australia we just don't seem to celebrate (as in, view as a celebrity, my little pun) anyone other than entertainers and so-called sports 'heroes'.

Whoops, didn't mean to be anonymous. I seem to be trying to make every possible posting error in this discussion.

It was I who made the above comment on Simon's important point about valuing science in Australia so scientists don't have to go overseas.