Violence against Women in Science: The Future of Gender and Science in Gwyneth Jones'sLife

Abstract

Violence manifests itself in a multitude of forms leaving survivors with psychological damage. Gwyneth Jones'sLife(2004) portrays myriad acts of violence against women in science with a specific critique of patriarchy that devalues women's place in science as the second sex. The novel depicts genderization of science, questioning whether there are essential biological sexual differences through the psychology of a haunted woman bioscientist who discovers the Transferred Y chromosome that will change the future of gender with the death of male chromosome and birth of many diverse sexes. This article discusses how gender becomes a visible barrier to advancement in almost any field, but most importantly in the sciences due to gender stereotypes and gendered professional culture. This is achieved by exploring the threshold of madness the woman scientist is driven to as a response to the strain of ongoing patriarchal violence, in addition to the consequences of her psychological dilemma of balancing her multiple roles in professional career and personal life.