On Women in Science on the Box - The Grimm, The Bold and The Bang (Part 1)

The way in which women in Science, Technology and Mathematics (STEM) are portrayed in TV shows, films and all other kinds of media is something which, unsurprisingly, interests me a lot. Whether its a female presenter or expert on a science program, like Professor Tanya Byron on last week's Horizon Specials, or a fictional character like Bernadette in the Big Bang Theory, they all shape our perceptions of what it means to be a woman in STEM. I've been thinking more and more about how women in STEM careers are represented recently thanks to watching lots of The Big Bang Theory and binging a very different show, Grimm. In turn, I started wondering if the way in which women in STEM are represented in the media at the moment is better or worse than it was in the past? That's a question I won't be get anywhere near to answering conclusively here, but I am going to look at some of the good and not so good shown in some of the characters that I have recently, and not so recently, been spending time with. However, before I begin I must say that the big caveat of this post/series is this:
I have not done an extensive survey on all women in STEM in TV shows and films now and in the past. This is purely an observation from my perspective on some of the media I've consumed recently and also, a musing on what makes female characters in a STEM professions or related roles good or bad.

Got that? Then let us begin.

The big kick-start which made me want to write this post is Grimm. In short Grimm is about Nick, a police officer who also happens to be a descendent of the Brothers Grimm. This interesting family history makes Nick capable of seeing the not-so-humans hiding in the city of Portland and, as a Grimm, it's Nick's job to make sure humans are kept safe from this hidden threat. The show has a very wide supporting cast which includes Juliette and Rosalie, who may not be 'scientists' in name but, who are the font of most scientific knowledge and support in the show.

Rosalie is a strange person to class as having a STEM career as she actually owns a herbalists shop, where she makes up various remedies to supernatural ailments. I can feel people going "Nope. Nonsense! Not science.", but in the world of Grimm herbal cures are essential for dealing with various supernatural threats and the way in which Rosalie works is part pharmacologist, part chemist, part researcher. Therefore, I think she is a portrayal of a woman in a STEM career. Rosalie often is shown working with various pieces of chemistry equipment, researching and inventing medicines and providing advice to 'regular' customers at her shop, all in an extremely competent way. If mistakes are made its very rarely her that makes them, and the most mistakes made by male members of the cast. Why? Well, they're cops and clock makers who don't really know what they are doing! She's the expert so they defer to her. Rosalie is also presented as intelligent, through making mental leaps and deductions when books don't give her a full picture of the remedy needed, and through coming up with strokes of genius to deliver some of the concoctions she does make. In short, she's characterised as a capable (and complex) woman who is good at her job, which happens to be technical. She's a person, not a caricature of a person in a STEM-esque career, which is what I would like to see so, so, so, so, so much more often. 

Next in the parade of Grimm greatness is Juliette. Juliette is pure awesome in human form, seriously, I want to be like her when I grow up! But I'm getting off track, Juliet is a Vet, a STEM related career, but she provides scientific support to Nick (even if she doesn't know the whole truth behind why he's asking her for help) mainly in the form of immunological and physiological know how. Juliette is not a biologist by trade, but she obviously keeps up to date on relevant developments in her field. She's a really great example of someone using their science training outside of its original sphere of context, which, as far as I know, is not very common in film and TV. If you don't mind about mild spoilers with where the plot goes she bounces off Rosalie really well and together they solve all kinds of problems in the later seasons. Also, she could have easily been killed off in the first episodes for the sake of male character development (a la Supernatural), but she wasn't, making her a trope breaker in lots of ways. (Just highlight the blue strip with your cursor to read that bit).Once again she has that key feature of being a person who isn't defined by her job and I think that's the major thing which makes both her and Rosalie's characterisation special. They're people first, professionals second, which is not only good writing, it's also surprisingly refreshing to see, particularly in technically minded female characters. 

The bonus feature of Grimm is that along side Juliette and Rosalie there are also a lot of women in STEM presented in one shot episodes and as recurring minor characters, such as the Medical Examiner who keeps popping up and the one shot female game developers who resisted a lot of common stereotypes. It's really good to see a world populated with female characters that aren't just there to scream and run away. It is a show about monsters, so there is plenty screaming and running away, but it tends to be done by everyone, not just the female portion of the cast. 

To sum up, Grimm is not just a great TV show which is worth watching, but (in my opinion) it also has some really interesting female characters, who happen to have STEM related careers and are presented in a very positive way. So, the next question is, are there other good representations of female STEM professionals out there in current media and what is it that makes good? Also, were positive "women in STEM" characters present in the past and have we gone forward or backward in recent years? I'll be looking at some of these questions next time, with a look Star Trek, Hannibal and more.

Have you seen Grimm? Do you agree with my comments? Or do you know of other good or bad female characters in STEM? Let me know in the comments!