Quoted

"Women my vintage never learned to brag the way many scientists do. It’s not unusual for colleagues to talk openly about their superiority or the breathtaking impact of their own work. I was uncomfortable with this kind of discourse—which a female colleague dubbed ‘combat physics.’

"Girls are instead socialized to respond to others and consider their ideas. In the academic marketplace, it’s all about putting your own ideas forward. A male colleague once told me, ‘Don't ask us what we think, don’t try to forge a consensus. Just bang on the table and tell us what to do.’ This style doesn’t come naturally to many women."

—Meg Urry, director of the Yale Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics and chair of the physics department, in a July 19 Huffington Post column.