We are Equals. Aren't we 007?

A very interesting question posed by the boss of 007 to Daniel Craig, the latest Bond male secret agent of the British Secret Service (i.e., MI6). However, as M points out (played by Judith Dench), the odds are against it.

If you have not yet watched this WeAreEquals.org Youtube short, you need to see Daniel Craig trying life as a female (in heels, a blond wig, and makeup, no less!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkp4t5NYzVM

As Judith Dench narrates, the numbers are against us: Women are responsible for 2/3 of the work done worldwide yet earn only 10% of the total income and 1% of the property. In the January 31 AASWomen Newsletter, we reported to you that the Census Bureau estimates women in the USA still receive only about 78 cents for every dollar that men get for doing equivalent jobs.

The data extends to tenured faculty in academia: From an NSF report in 2007 (see #6 in the March 11, 2011 AASWomen), <20% are women professors of science and math at top research institutes in the USA. As Hannah Jang-Condell points out in the March 8, 2011 Women in Astronomy blog, only 11% of tenured faculty are women as noted in the Astro2010 Decadal Survey.

So are we equals? "Until the answer is 'yes,' we must never stop asking." - M