The Epstein files have constantly been a source of discussion and controversy in the news. The three million pages released by the Justice Department on Jan. 30, 2025, sparked a scandal that has only amplified as more information has been discovered. The readable documents uncovered a shocking amount of blatant misogyny, mostly coming from men in power. Furthermore, these emails revealed incredibly derogatory messages about women in STEM fields and overall sexism in the Epstein files.
Jeffrey Epstein, a well-known child sex offender, was consistently accused of and investigated as a rapist for nearly 20 years before the Epstein files were released. Even though Epstein’s history of sexism and rape was clear before the files were made public, no one was prepared for the overt misogyny he and his friends shamelessly displayed. Correspondence between Epstein and other people in political and academic power, such as Roger Schank, an AI theorist, and Jeremy Rubin, a bitcoin developer, shared their own outdated opinions about women.
Schank wrote to Epstein, “Hard to be brilliant if you are worrying if you look fat or why another woman hates you or why you don’t own a Kelly bag.” In another exchange between Rubin and Epstein, Rubin said it would be, “interesting to attempt to make an intellectually stimulating game where women outperform men.” These emails barely scratch the surface of the unabashed sexism these two men sent to each other without a second thought.
In 2018, John Brockman, a literary agent and one of Epstein’s friends, invited him to a program with many elite scientists. In one email between Brockman and Epstein about the guest list, Epstein wrote, “John, the old conferences did not care about diversity. I suggest you not either. The women are all weak, and a distraction, sorry.” Epstein actively tried to exclude deserving women from prestigious programs that they had a right to attend.
Women in science have always been a controversial topic. In the 21st century, it seems like society would have moved on from this outdated mindset that women are academically inferior to men, but Epstein and his friends felt differently. Historical scientists like Marie Curie, Rachel Carson and Grace Hopper made huge scientific contributions, yet they aren’t always credited for their work. Whether blatant or private, the Epstein files are a reversal and demoralization of all the work women have done to be recognized in STEM.
“Sometimes women kind of shift their personalities to be more like [the male gaze], because they realize that the way to advance is to adopt those behaviors,” says Sruthi Muralidharan, a physics teacher at Ida B. Wells. “That makes it extra bad for other women, because then we’re contrasted with the person absorbing all these behaviors to fit in with the male-dominating group.”
Epstein poured millions of dollars into scientific research for men like Schank and Rubin, and invited them to his island and private retreats, while simultaneously mocking their women colleagues. He excluded women from their well-deserved places in high-ranking positions, preventing women from being promoted or acknowledged in their fields.
“A reason I moved from having an engineering career to being a teacher at a high school is to try and catch this problem early, and show girls in a school that women can be engineers too,” said Muralidharan. “If you have had only male science teachers, you picture scientists as being male. But if you have had good influences from all genders, you are less likely to carry those biases outside of school, and hopefully that changes the world a little.”
The release of the Epstein files revealed a huge network of clear sexism, and truly shows the values of politicians who either ignore these developments or have taken a stand. It’s saddening that the world isn’t rocked to its core about the discoveries in the Epstein files, and that we can go about our daily lives while knowing about the atrocities Epstein and his friends committed against women.
“I try hard to inspire all of my students, but especially my female students, to go into science,” said IBW chemistry and biology teacher Julieanne Quigley. “I have had many female students go on to earn degrees and have careers in science.” Given the prejudice women in science currently face, it is crucial for female students to pursue careers in STEM and work on evening out the ratio between men and women.
