Women in Eureka. Where Are They?

[FromOutside]

The thread contains spoilers. Be warned

Where are the science women in Eureka? When did the first one show herself? Why it took so long? What did you think of it?

When I watched Eureka, the setting bugged me much. If I remember correctly, the first seven or so episodes there was no women clearly working with science, only men, and the whole female population in Eureka seemed to have other jobs, often as house wifes. Not that there were something wrong with it, but after all Eureka is a city of scientist, and one would think there is female scientists too.

No, Allison doesn't count. She started as an agent, so not a science job (makes one wonder why they picked her to GD later, doctor or not).

Even the children we saw on the streets of the Eureka were little boys calculating things and being overall geniuses! Like that ones in the always same pictures at the beginning of the episodes.

Girls? Maybe they were at home where their mothers taught them how to bake.

There was a woman too, in the starting pictures! Carrying groceries and taking a dog out.

I know the (hard) sciences is still somewhat male territory, and it doesn't bug me when some random scientist are men in some show. But when you make a city full of stereotypes... That is just too much for mu inner feminist

[DigiFluid]

Ally may have started as an agent, but she still has several PhDs in sciences. She's definitely a big nerd

There's been Tess, the shopowner one that Carter dated for a while, the one who stole Jo's body to chase after Fargo, various scientists seen in the background at GD, etc. And let's not forget Beverly who, despite being a psychotherapist, also clearly had a grasp on advanced sciences as well.

Even if you're unhappy with early characterization, I think it's pretty clear that Eureka's creators have been making a concerted effort to equalize the roles of the sexes.

[FromOutside]

^ And there is Kim, too, one of my favorites.

It's true that later seasons are more well balanced that way, but the first and specially it's beginning are/is still pretty much a terrible stereotype. I'd like to know what the writers were thinking... Maybe it was intentional?

[DigiFluid]

I doubt very much there's intentional misogyny in Eureka's writing.

[FromOutside]

Even if it was done on purpose, it doesn't make it misogyny! Maybe the writers wanted to say something I couldn't decrypt, maybe they wanted to see how the audience would react, maybe something else. Maybe they wanted to show some part of the history of science when they took women slowly from house wifes to active scientist. After all some of the episodes have had some... not sharp, but sensible critique towards how the scientific world works. For example that one where Fargo and his friends were having not that pretty competition with the other team and ended up doping themselves so they could do better.

More caffeine to the students! Better stimulants to the professors!

[aretood2]

Even if it was done on purpose, it doesn't make it misogyny! Maybe the writers wanted to say something I couldn't decrypt, maybe they wanted to see how the audience would react, maybe something else. Maybe they wanted to show some part of the history of science when they took women slowly from house wifes to active scientist. After all some of the episodes have had some... not sharp, but sensible critique towards how the scientific world works. For example that one where Fargo and his friends were having not that pretty competition with the other team and ended up doping themselves so they could do better.

More caffeine to the students! Better stimulants to the professors!

Lets not forget that Science fields are still in general a male dominated feild. My Parents were born in a time when the notion of Female Scientists was laughable...beyond lab aids. Those affects have not disappeared and it will be years before the balance in RL is equalized. IMO Eureka has properly shown the ratio between male and female scientists. Only recently are there more women getting into the sciences, but before...not many girls said "I want to be an astrophysicist."

[Alder]

I just discovered this show...well...earlier today, and so far (episode four) I've seen two female scientists Kim(?) in episode three, and a few seconds ago a Doctor Surat. [Fargo's going to be in *trouble* when she catches him...]

I wouldn't say that Jo was a traditional stereotype either...

[Everlovin]

Yay another EUReKA fan!!!

[Spimman]

Well I guess I'll have to pay more attention, but as far as main characters go the show is fairly well balanced and even has very intelligent and strong women (Allison, Jo, Zoe, Tess...to name a few).

I think a decent point was raised above. What do you think the male/female ratio is at most scientific research facilities and such? 70% male? Would you be concerned if you watched a show about the US Military and it has a much higher percentage of males to females?

I think in terms of gender roles the show has done a good job of balancing equality and reality.

[Demoniser]

There has been a plentiful amount of female scientists besides the ones already mentioned as part of the main story of several episodes.

There was the group at Allison's Baby Shower, the wife of that guy with the ghost detector (P-Brain episode), those in the self contained habitat episode, the sexual harassment woman (Lexia iirc), the woman who tried to open up a space/time portal or whatever (Teryl Rothery), oh and Eva Thorne who was a pretty smart.

Im sure there are plenty more. It's hardly a male dominated town/show tbh.