This book dissects the years-long battle for gender equality at MIT

Kate Zernike is a national reporter for the New York Times.

Harry Zernike/Simon and Schuster

In their pursuit of science and discovery, the few female scientists at MIT in the late 20th century found themselves faced with hurdles related to their gender, rather than their research. So they did what scientists do: they quantified it. One journalist took notice.

Who is she? Kate Zernike is a national reporter for the New York Times, covering politics, healthcare, and more.

• She is also the author of book, The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science, which details the struggles of female researchers aiming to gain equality among male peers.

What’s the big deal? Zernike was first to report the story of MIT’s reluctant gender activists in the 1990s, and did so while working for The Boston Globe in 1999. She has since revisited the story and her book delves into the less known details.

• It begins with molecular biologist Nancy Hopkins, who was only 19 years old when she discovered her passion for working with the subject matter.
• And after working her way up through the ranks at MIT, gaining tenure, and formulating ambitious plans for genetic research, Hopkins still found herself marred by the barriers she encountered in the workplace, struggling to even claim a fair amount of space in the lab.
• “I began collecting data and measuring lab space with a tape measure so I could convince my administrators that I deserved to have an additional two-inch square feet of space. But nothing happened as quickly as I wanted it to happen,” Hopkins recalled.
• Soon after, Hopkins began speaking to other women about their experiences, and they began constructing a landmark study…