This Month in Gender Equity: August 2019
We return this month with our series that recaps our favorite (or least favorite) moments in gender equity from news, media, and longreads all over the internet. You’ll see installments for This Month in Gender Equity the fourth week of each month. If you have ideas or contributions, leave a comment or tweet at us!
Reshma Saujani, the founder of the organization Girls Who Code, takes on the lack of visible male allies in this month’s take on gender equity. She points out that, though we know that there are many men who are allies, “We look for the (men) who chimed in, took a stand, organized their workplaces or their communities. Too often, we’re left craning our necks.” So how do we fix this? Her answer is that we need to encourage men to be brave in raising their voices for gender equity. It is not enough to be a silent ally, to sit by, either online or in person, while women are marginalized. In order to really make things better, it cannot only be the voices of women, it must also be the voices of men, calling for gender equity. Saujani points out that the reason that many male allies are quiet is not because they do not believe in the cause, but rather because they are nervous or unsure about how to proceed. She also offers some great places for men to start, such as calling out sexist comments or actions, centering women’s voices in conversations by encouraging them to speak and then listening when they do, and shutting down male colleagues who try to claim women’s ideas as their own. This is a great article if you are looking for ways to talk to your male allies about their role in the gender equity fight, which is, as Saujani says, our collective one.
After writing a series of email requests, author Marianna Eloise realized she repeatedly used the same phrase: No worries if not. She then tweeted the phrase as a jab at her own habits and the tweet went viral. In this article, she looks at why some women communicate in emails with the kind of hesitation—or fear—embodied by the phrase, “No worries if not.” Women go to great lengths to avoid sounding shrill or overbearing in email for a number of reasons: they are less likely to be seen as professional, to be considered expert, or to receive equal pay for equal tasks. But, Eloise goes on to say, phrases like hers also undercut the very expertise and professionalism women do possess. She speaks to several experts and career coaches regarding how to evince more confidence in something as simple as an email. My favorite response was a reminder to, “Question your thoughts with evidence, while changing the narrative around them.” Sounds like good advice.
Sexism in the Academy: Women’s Narrowing Path to Tenure
A long read but a worthwhile one—especially for those of us who have found ourselves in the academy or academic jobs. Frankly, I shivered a few times as I recognized situations I’ve been in or seen my colleagues endure. This rigorously researched and cited article begins with a description of the ways in which female talent is whittled and weeded out of the academy, from selection processes to funding opportunities. It then details the ways in which systems that promote individuals into academic positions tend to favor men—for example, “One study found that referees tended to write shorter and less keen recommendation letters for their female protégées and were less likely to comment on the quality of their research.” Even after reaching prestigious positions, women are repeatedly asked to prove their talent and their fundability. None of the choices available to women are good ones: those who choose to publish with men may experience some visibility but may also risk their work being attributed to their male writing partners. What can be done, especially by those of us in university settings? The author suggests a radical “campaign…to root out backwards thinking, especially among men,” which includes mandatory women’s history and feminist philosophy classes. He then suggests that recruitment, especially for faculty positions, should be open and competitive—rather than through networks and favors, which too often characterizes hiring practices. I strongly recommend a thorough read of this article; it has definitely caused me to think about ways to promote the women (and to disrupt anti-woman and anti-feminist practices) in my institution.
- Lauren and Amy