I came across this article in the New York Times a few days ago, and while it's interesting for several reasons, I immediately started thinking about how it relates to music. I have a personal interest as the daughter of two scientists (who are also wonderful parents) but I think pretty much everything these women said about a life in science applies to a life in music, and probably many other fields that at one point were (and perhaps still are, in some circumstances) hostile to women.
The life that goes along with conducting scientific research is not as strange or rare as these women think it is, I think. Long hours spent intensely working on a project by yourself (or perhaps collaborating with others, sometimes), trying things that may or may not work, being extremely frustrated, years spent building up a reputation, fierce competition, constantly being judged.... doesn't that sound a lot like the life of a composer?
Actually, the part of the article I found most interesting (and most similar to listening to my music professors) was the end- when several of the women said they didn't think they'd encourage their daughters to go into this life unless they absolutely had to, that it was a tough life, that you need to be made of steel or (titanium). But they did all agree, as do I, that it's extremely important for women to be encouraged to go into science (or music, as the case may be).
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