Feminist Chemists

A recent article in C&EN tells a grim tale of the current and future job market for chemists:  

Dow Chemical will eliminate 5,000 jobs, roughly 11% of its workforce, as a result of the rapidly deteriorating economy. The company says the move accelerates an ongoing program to streamline operations. Approximately 2,000 jobs will be trimmed through the sale of several businesses. The remaining layoffs will be in centralized business services. In addition, Dow will decrease production by temporarily idling 180 plants and will reduce its contractor workforce by 6,000, or about 30%.

Dow’s announcement follows the news that DuPont will reduce its workforce by 2,500, primarily in businesses that support the motor vehicle and construction industries. The weak automotive market is also having a negative effect on performance plastics supplier A. Schulman. The firm has revealed restructuring plans that will cut 131 positions from its employment rolls and reduce North American capacity by 50%.

The chemical industry layoffs are contributing to mounting unemployment in the U.S. manufacturing sector. The Department of Labor reports that U.S. unemployment rose by 0.2% to 6.7% in November compared with October, the highest level in 15 years. Nonfarm payroll fell sharply by 533,000 jobs, of which 85,000 came from manufacturing.

According to the American Chemistry Council, the U.S. chemical industry’s main trade organization, the industry lost 1,000 jobs in November. T. Kevin Swift, ACC’s chief economist, projects that employment in the U.S. chemical industry will decline 3% in 2009.

Oh, Carol Anne, we are scared too.  We thought the evil one was gone for good, but apparently misogyny is back en vogue, at least in politics.

Larry Summers, the great nemesis of feminist chemists everywhere, has resurfaced. The last time we heard about Larry he was getting the ax from Harvard University for his sexist opinions that women were genetically inferior in math and science. Apparently, his 18th century thinking made the majority of the faculty and staff at Harvard University lose all confidence in the man. Go figure!

Unfortunately, one elite university’s trash is another President-elect’s treasure. Yes it is true, and sadly we must inform all of our brilliant female colleagues that Larry Summers has been appointed as Director of the National Economic Council in Barack Obama’s upcoming administration.

Well, our only hope now is that Larry will screw up and say something demeaning about Hillary because she is the only one in Washington with enough cojones to get rid of him, for good.  Hmmm…. I’m picturing Hillary taking Larry on one of her Secretary of State trips to Siberia, and accidentally leaving him there…

Muwahahhaha!