As an academic wife, there are moments when I am painfully aware of my lack of higher education. I've written before about the glazed over look some academics get in their eyes when I tell them I'm a stay at home mom. Being a non-academic, I always figured that their glassy look came from the fact that I didn't have any capitalized letters after my name. Much to my chagrin, I learned the other day that it may have more to do with the fact that I'm a woman.
We were at a dinner party a few weeks back when I joined in a conversation already in progress. I sat and listened as a female professor spun a tale of her decade long crusade to infiltrate an all male, exclusive group of professors within her department.
My initial reaction was one of my practiced exasperated sighs and a roll of my eyes (usually reserved for Clay when he exercises his lack of common sense). I thought, "How typical of men to create themselves an exclusive club." And I couldn't help but think she should consider herself lucky not to be invited to such testosterone driven shindigs. Sorry, I know that's really sexist on my part. Don't worry the irony of me being sexist in this situation isn't lost on me.
Anyway, as her story continued, it became more clear how completely upset she was by the whole ordeal. This "club" wasn't just about some friends getting together and having a beer. The men in this group are consciously choosing to not include women. Let me be more clear. Women, their female colleagues, are not welcome at the table when they get together outside of work. And those male-exclusive moments are having an impact on the department.
Needless to say, my original eye-roll turned into bugs eyes as I listened in disbelief. If some of the more intelligent people (those with PhDs) on the planet are still practicing sexism, what hope is there for the rest of the world? How do we pass on a better world to our children when there are professors out there that exercise this kind of behavior?
I'm sorry but it's 2011, didn't you get the memo?
*In light of this and my own shortcomings when it comes to sexism, I'll certainly be holding myself more accountable. I want to be part of the solution, not the problem.
We were at a dinner party a few weeks back when I joined in a conversation already in progress. I sat and listened as a female professor spun a tale of her decade long crusade to infiltrate an all male, exclusive group of professors within her department.
My initial reaction was one of my practiced exasperated sighs and a roll of my eyes (usually reserved for Clay when he exercises his lack of common sense). I thought, "How typical of men to create themselves an exclusive club." And I couldn't help but think she should consider herself lucky not to be invited to such testosterone driven shindigs. Sorry, I know that's really sexist on my part. Don't worry the irony of me being sexist in this situation isn't lost on me.
Anyway, as her story continued, it became more clear how completely upset she was by the whole ordeal. This "club" wasn't just about some friends getting together and having a beer. The men in this group are consciously choosing to not include women. Let me be more clear. Women, their female colleagues, are not welcome at the table when they get together outside of work. And those male-exclusive moments are having an impact on the department.
Needless to say, my original eye-roll turned into bugs eyes as I listened in disbelief. If some of the more intelligent people (those with PhDs) on the planet are still practicing sexism, what hope is there for the rest of the world? How do we pass on a better world to our children when there are professors out there that exercise this kind of behavior?
I'm sorry but it's 2011, didn't you get the memo?
*In light of this and my own shortcomings when it comes to sexism, I'll certainly be holding myself more accountable. I want to be part of the solution, not the problem.
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