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Assignment 02: Skeletons in the Closet

Londa Schiebinger’s essay, “Skeletons in the Closet” illustrates the link between anatomy and science and how scientists used anatomy to justify the inequality women faced. The first illustrations of the female skeleton depicted their skulls as smaller, as well as their pelvises as larger, a fact that anatomists used to justify their lesser roles in society. Scientists believed that women’s smaller skulls indicated they had less intellectual power than men, and that their large pelvises meant that women’s roles should be mainly childbirth.

Many men at the time perceived that “natural law” reigned supreme over all political ideologies and governing laws. White men used their belief in the power of “natural law” to justify the oppression of women, even when philosophers at the time such as John Locke argued that all men were created equal. This reliance on “natural law” to keep women subdued in society was reflective of the attitude of many white european men, that since science proved men and women to be unequal, their roles in society should be unequal as well.

The exclusion of women from scientific practices in this era prevented any women scientists to dispute the scientific claims being promoted by the scientific community. The unfairness of women’s predicament was evident in that science claimed they were less smart, and therefore were unable to have the opportunity to even study the claim and challenge it. Women were shut out from the scientific realm, resulting in their fixed position in society.

It is interesting to read about how science was used to justify women’s place in society because this is something that can still be witness today, despite the fact that this original evidence scientists produced was false. The 2016 presidential election proved the doubt that many men still have in association with a woman being in power. Many people believed Hillary Clinton would be unfit because she was a woman, therefore being more “emotional” and less rational, a claim which is absolutely untrue. This essay helped demonstrate the link between sexism and science, something that many people often overlook.