When I was growing up, you were a Momma’s Boy, a Man’s Man, or something in-between.  Most of us belonged to the in-between group.

Dare I say life is a bit more complicated these days?

There was a time not long ago when a female voice making an announcement on an airplane was assumed to be a flight attendant, a woman caring for you in a hospital was automatically a nurse, and a lady engineer was an oxymoron.  In my lifetime, our culture has evolved to where female pilots, doctors and engineers are no longer notable, at least not for their gender.

While the whole gender identity issue is way above my pay-grade, the transition from the role models of my youth to a culture where humans and jobs are largely interchangeable is of great interest.  This is particularly so in the STEM fields, where I have carved out my own career.  <continue reading>