Professor says women 'don't understand' the science behind fracking

A professor in Britain who is also the chairwoman of the U.K.'s top shale gas lobby is defending her comments about women opposing fracking because they "don't understand" the process.

Averil Macdonald, who teaches scientific engagement at the University of Reading and is chairwoman of U.K. Onshore Oil and Gas, told the British newspaper The Times that women likely can't comprehend fracking — which entails drilling and then injecting chemicals, sand, and highly pressurized water into rock to release oil and natural gas — because they gave up learning about science as teenagers. "Frequently the women haven't had very much in the way of a science education because they may well have dropped science at 16," she said. "That is just a fact." Women, she said, "not only do show more of a concern about fracking, they also know that they don't know and they don't understand. They are concerned because they don't want to be taking [it] on trust. And that's actually entirely reasonable."

A YouGov poll from April says 43 percent of British people are opposed to fracking, with 32 percent in favor. Using a University of Nottingham poll that states 58 percent of men support fracking compared to 31.5 percent of women, Macdonald said: "Why are men persuaded? That's because an awful lot of facts have been put forward. Men will say, 'Fair enough, [I] understand.' But women, for whatever reason, have not been persuaded by the facts."

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On Twitter, Macdonald faced a backlash, with Labour MP Louise Haigh tweeting: "I can assure Averil Macdonald that I understand fracking fine and am opposed to it nonetheless." Macdonald wrote an op-ed for The Guardian defending herself, saying it's "ironic" she has been criticized for her comments when in fact she wants to "inspire" girls to study and have careers in science and technology.