Female academics face huge sexist bias

[Exhibit A]

Female academics face huge sexist bias – no wonder there are so few of them

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/womens-blog/2015/feb/13/female-academics-huge-sexist-bias-students

Benjamin Schmidt, an assistant professor at Northeastern University, has created an online tool that allows users to compare the frequency of particular words in evaluations of male and female professors. Schmidt created the interactive chart using data from 14 million student reviews on the website RateMyProfessors.com. The results are striking.

<snip>

Reviews of male professors are more likely to include the words “brilliant”, “intelligent” or “smart”, and far more likely to contain the word “genius”. Meanwhile, women are more likely to be described as “mean”, “harsh”, “unfair” or “strict”, and a lot more likely to be called “annoying”.

Immediately recognisable societal stereotypes emerge – the words “disorganized” or “unorganized” [sic] come up much more frequently in women’s evaluations, while men are far more likely to be described as “cool” or “funny”, with one of the widest gender splits of all on the word “hilarious”. Women are more commonly called “nice” or “helpful”, but men are more often described as “good”.

<snip>

The implications are serious. In the competitive world of academia, student evaluations are often used as a tool in the process of hiring and promotion. That the evaluations may be biased against female professors is particularly problematic in light of existing gender imbalance, particularly at the highest echelons of academia. According to the American Association of University Professors, in 2012, 62% of men in academia in the US were tenured compared to only 44% of women, while women were far more likely to be in non-tenure track positions than men (32% of women in academia compared to just 19% of men).

[petronius]

1. I've certainly noticed this (informally) over the years, in the official

written student evaluation that are done at the end of each term. Clothing and appearance are frequently mentioned as well; I don't think I've ever received a comment about how I look, but many if not most female instructors of my acquaintance have had their appearance 'evaluated' (often harshly)...

[chervilant]

2. What?!

No replies?!?

There are other reasons for gender imbalance. When I was in grad school, I took an honors thesis course in order to flesh out a theory I've developed about power imbalance (ironic, yes?). My professor called my theory "brilliant," "cutting edge," and "career making." I told him that I have every intention of developing my theory into a book (written in a populist style in order to transcend the academic audience), and that I didn't want him or any of my classmates to usurp my work.

The following semester, my roommate discovered--quite by accident--that this professor was taking a sabbatical to write a book. You can guess the subject matter. My roommate reminded him that the theory is mine, and he admitted that he had intended to write his book based on my theory, but would no longer do so. I had thought this man was a friend as well as a colleague, and his betrayal cut deep.

Sadly, within the year, this professor died abruptly from a brain aneurysm. Meanwhile, I have avoided academia because of this and other sexist biases.

[bbgrunt]

6. an unsavory and unfortunate incident--but one suffered by both genders in

a highly competitive environment.

[chervilant]

9. Suffered by both genders?

Is your disclaimer intended to suggest that women do not experience an inordinate amount of gender bias?

[bbgrunt]

10. heavens, no. Only that in academia (as well as other fields that deal in ideas) there

is a lot of competition which fosters incentives to steal things that can't be locked away in vaults. Given that research (or song-writing or script ideas for movies for example) build on or provide variants of past works, it is also very problematic to determine the origin of an idea and give due credit.

It is also common practice for "leading scholars" to use research assistants/graduate students to do the work while the scholar gets the credit--or majority of the credit even if they contributed very little to the project. Graduate students who want to get published are often willing to have their major professor sign on to and submit their work since it increases their probabilities of getting published. This happens regardless of gender. It is often considered a part of "paying your dues".

I don't know how much you shared with your professor, but if he/she was simply plagiarizing your work, that is indeed grievous. I am sorry if that happened to you.

None of this is to deny that there are definitely subtle and considerable gender biases that exist in academia as well as elsewhere, but stealing ideas is not gender specific. Having experience in a male-dominated field I can attest to the fact that it happens to many males as well.

[chervilant]

12. Thanks for the clarification.

What you've described is a big part of why I have avoided academia as a career path.

Indeed, there are not many "career paths" that do not compel us to compromise our morals and/or our integrity.

[bbgrunt]

3. well then. With that large of a sample

it can only serve to validate that women profs ARE more harsh, unfair, disorganized, and annoying! (sarcasm thingy)

(edit to add) Seriously though, these biases are not limited to academia. Simply correlating frequencies of word responses does very little to dispell the bias since that is exactly what one would expect if indeed, women had these derogatory characteristics in greater abundance than men. It is, however validating to have the biases so well cataloged.

[starroute]

4. There is one aspect of this that might be semi-valid

Last edited Sun Feb 22, 2015, 11:04 PM - Edit history (1)

It's been my observation that women in positions of authority often have to come across as more severe or critical of others in order to maintain that authority. They don't have the leeway to be as relaxed or "hilarious" as a male teacher might be, because they'd risk not being taken seriously.

This is something I recall even from high school. It was an all girls' school -- and yet the female teachers tended to range from casually friendly to starchy, while the much smaller number of male teachers displayed far more showmanship and ebullience in the classroom.

I don't know what can be done about this, since it suggests to me that even women don't take other women seriously unless they pull rank in a way that isn't necessary for men. But it may go along with our tendency as a society to rate even presidential candidates on likeability rather than effectiveness.

[bbgrunt]

5. it is sort of a catch22 bind. One can

only hope that more women in these jobs as role models will eventually help dissipate some of the problem. Breaking barriers/shattering ceilings in male-dominated areas has never been an easy path, but it must be done--whether or not the kind of women to do so and succeed tend to be less "likeable".
Respect, rather than likeability should be the goal.

[seabeyond]

7. another phenomenon. a man and woman can say the same thing, in the same tone, with the same body

body language.

the woman will be defined as a bitch and the man as authoritative.

all in the perceptions we hold.

THAT is the challenge and the false dichotomy women are presented with.

[Exhibit A]

8. Absolutely right. n/t

[bbgrunt]

11. or, if a salient point, the woman will be ignored as if she hadn't even spoken

only to hear a male colleague later repeat her point to general acclaim and acceptance.