--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think being a scientist is a position…" description: "\"I think being a scientist is a position of respect and power and access, and it's a privileged position in society. And I think there are fundamental m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/hope-jahren-4468_men_i-think-being-a-scientist-is-a-position_2310450.jpg" --- # I think being a scientist is a position of respect and… ![“I think being a scientist is a position of respect and power and access, and it's a privileged position in society. And I think there are fundamental mechanisms that keep men and women from achieving the same level of power and access and privilege in society.” quote by Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/hope-jahren-4468_men_i-think-being-a-scientist-is-a-position_2310450.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/hope-jahren-4468_men_i-think-being-a-scientist-is-a-position_2310450.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/hope-jahren-4468_men_i-think-being-a-scientist-is-a-position_2310450.jpg) > “I think being a scientist is a position of respect and power and access, and it's a privileged position in society. And I think there are fundamental mechanisms that keep men and women from achieving the same level of power and access and privilege in society.” [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She notes that scientific status confers power and privilege, while systemic barriers prevent gender equality in access and influence. **In simple terms:** Science offers power, but gender gaps persist. Key Takeaway Address gender bias in STEM. Themes gender science power Mood thoughtful informed Type analytical advocacy When to use this quote - grant funding - leadership programs - institutional reform Key Concepts feminist theory sociology policy Questions to Reflect On - What policies can close gender gaps? - How can allies support equitable access? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑rooted biases is slow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/) ## Related quotes > [Privilege, in any society, is the reward of duties performed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-kirk/privilege-in-any-society-is-the-reward-of-duties-performed/) [Russell Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-kirk/) > [“We don’t give our animal friends enough credit for the lives they lead until we try to imagine ourselves in their position. Only then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-rohrig/we-don-t-give-our-animal-friends-enough-credit-for-the-lives-they/) [Kyle Rohrig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-rohrig/) > [I have no respect for the right-to-life position, though I have every respect for an individual who says, "I could never have that procedure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-have-no-respect-for-the-right-to-life-position-though-i-have-every/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I think that's something a scientist can do because a scientist works at a border, at the edge of science, at the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-hell/i-think-that-s-something-a-scientist-can-do-because-a-scientist-works/) [Stefan Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-hell/) > [If the only time you think of me as a scientist is during Black History Month, then I must not be doing my job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-the-only-time-you-think-of-me-as-a-scientist-is-during-black/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [One of the things I've learned that has made me very successful, I think, as a scientist in general, sometimes you just have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-hammel/one-of-the-things-i-ve-learned-that-has-made-me-very-successful-i/) [Heidi Hammel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-hammel/) > [Well, I mean, I'm still a scientist, you know. I think once a scientist, always a scientist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayim-bialik/well-i-mean-i-m-still-a-scientist-you-know-i-think-once-a-scientist/) [Mayim Bialik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayim-bialik/) > [I want my girls to love math. I want them to think that being a scientist is the coolest possible job on the planet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/i-want-my-girls-to-love-math-i-want-them-to-think-that-being-a/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [People think that if you are a scientist you have to give up that joy of discovery, that passion, that sense of the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-druyan/people-think-that-if-you-are-a-scientist-you-have-to-give-up-that-joy/) [Ann Druyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-druyan/) > [I think a scientist's job is to explore the Universe, to explore the cosmos around us. 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It's a very lucky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-keaton/being-a-movie-star-is-a-rare-job-nobody-gives-you-any-guarantees-that/) [Diane Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-keaton/) > [I feel like I'm in a privileged position where I get to meet people and talk to them about the most important things in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-neville/i-feel-like-i-m-in-a-privileged-position-where-i-get-to-meet-people/) [Morgan Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-neville/) > [Us, as footballers, are in a very privileged position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gray/us-as-footballers-are-in-a-very-privileged-position/) [Andre Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gray/) > [No one has a right to occupy the privileged position all the time, so it should be contested. It should always be messy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-james-marshall/no-one-has-a-right-to-occupy-the-privileged-position-all-the-time-so/) [Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-james-marshall/) ## More by Hope Jahren > [A tree's wood is also its memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/a-tree-s-wood-is-also-its-memoir/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“You and I are going to work our asses off, teach them shit over and over, risk our fucking lives for them, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/you-and-i-are-going-to-work-our-asses-off-teach-them-shit-over-and/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Men and women study things differently, and it's not because of our chromosomes. It's a product of our cultural conditioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/men-and-women-study-things-differently-and-it-s-not-because-of-our/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. 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It's so much easier to cut one down than to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-world-breaks-a-little-bit-every-time-we-cut-down-a-tree-it-s-so/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [For a tree, to endure four months of daylight is like you or I going without sleep for four months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/for-a-tree-to-endure-four-months-of-daylight-is-like-you-or-i-going/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [I feel like I'm the same scientist I was back when I couldn't get a grant. Now I'm that same person thinking that same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-feel-like-i-m-the-same-scientist-i-was-back-when-i-couldn-t-get-a/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Plants are decisive to a fault. A stem produces a bud that flowers once and once only. It offers pollen that is either dispersed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/plants-are-decisive-to-a-fault-a-stem-produces-a-bud-that-flowers/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [Even a very little girl can wield a slide rule, the cursor serving as a haft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/even-a-very-little-girl-can-wield-a-slide-rule-the-cursor-serving-as/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“People will tell you that you have to know math to be a scientist, or physics or chemistry. They’re wrong. That’s like saying you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/people-will-tell-you-that-you-have-to-know-math-to-be-a-scientist-or/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [No matter how much funding I get, I'm always thinking, 'This is temporary. This is fragile. It could all end tomorrow, and how am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/no-matter-how-much-funding-i-get-i-m-always-thinking-this-is/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) > [“Everybody does all kinds of shit that they don’t know why they do. They just know that they have to,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/everybody-does-all-kinds-of-shit-that-they-don-t-know-why-they-do/) [Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) [Explore all 110 Hope Jahren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/) ## More Men quotes > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. 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