Writing test:Â The Finkbeiner Test (Female scientists)
This test is actually meant for journalists to avoid gender-bias in media about women in science, but I feel it can more or less be applied to literature as well. In order to pass this test, following seven points must NOT be in the article:
That she is a woman
Her husband's job
Her childcare arrangements
How she nurtures her underlings
How she was taken aback by the competitiveness in her field
How she is a role model for other women
How she's the "first woman to..."
Now some may ask "why these questions", but let's face it: With male scientists, they don't point out he's a man, or what job his wife has (though if he's gay they most definitely will point that part out) or how they arrange childcare and so on. They only do that with women, hence the test.
