He said, she said
Jul. 17th, 2006 01:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lurkittyAmong the experiences I will never forget is one that occurred in a classroom during my first year at college. This was a prominent private college where I was studying International Affairs, in fact, it was IA 101, and it was being taught but none other than the head of the department. This man was not known for his tact or pleasant demeanor; several in the class had already endured taunts and derisions at his hands. I had been called a dilletante for failing to answer a question correctly. The thing we had not realized was about to become quite obvious.
There was a nervous, mousey girl in class who was called on to answer a question and fumbled badly, most probably due to nerves. This appeared to break some long pent up jam, and the professor looked her in the face and asked, "What are you doing here?"
He then looked up at the rest of the women in the class. "What are you all doing here? Why aren't you at home with a husband making babies?"
I should have taken the hint. I spent another two years there before I realized that I would never prosper in that department. I transferred to another university.
I'd like to read the full text of the article in Nature by Ben Barres quoted in this article in the Houston Chronicle. Dr. Barres has a very interesting perspective with respect to sexism in the field of science. He has experienced both sides of the fence, as it were.
Ben Barres used to be Barbara Barres.
He reports a significant increase in respect from people who don't know he is transgendered. He finds it easier to finish a sentence without being interrupted when talking to male colleagues, for example. He even overheard one scientist who didn't know remark that Ben's work was better than "his sister's".
I was working at a university where an excellent female professor came up for tenure in Chemistry. An old male professor voted her down, remarking that no woman would achieve tenure while he lived. She left for a university that would allow her advancement.
The incident I described at the beginning of this essay happened some thirty years ago. I am sadden by the fact that things have not gotten significantly better. While that particular professor has stepped down, there are still no women among the IA faculty of that college.
There was a nervous, mousey girl in class who was called on to answer a question and fumbled badly, most probably due to nerves. This appeared to break some long pent up jam, and the professor looked her in the face and asked, "What are you doing here?"
He then looked up at the rest of the women in the class. "What are you all doing here? Why aren't you at home with a husband making babies?"
I should have taken the hint. I spent another two years there before I realized that I would never prosper in that department. I transferred to another university.
I'd like to read the full text of the article in Nature by Ben Barres quoted in this article in the Houston Chronicle. Dr. Barres has a very interesting perspective with respect to sexism in the field of science. He has experienced both sides of the fence, as it were.
Ben Barres used to be Barbara Barres.
He reports a significant increase in respect from people who don't know he is transgendered. He finds it easier to finish a sentence without being interrupted when talking to male colleagues, for example. He even overheard one scientist who didn't know remark that Ben's work was better than "his sister's".
I was working at a university where an excellent female professor came up for tenure in Chemistry. An old male professor voted her down, remarking that no woman would achieve tenure while he lived. She left for a university that would allow her advancement.
The incident I described at the beginning of this essay happened some thirty years ago. I am sadden by the fact that things have not gotten significantly better. While that particular professor has stepped down, there are still no women among the IA faculty of that college.
