Even Newsweek editors feel bias against women
About 40 years ago, the women editors at Newsweek pointed to inequalities between female and male editors and made national news. On March 29, 2010, Newsweek included an article by three female editors, entitled, "Are We There Yet?" No, they aren't, forty years later. Yes, there has been progress. The three women authors say that although Maria Shriver's poll of last year found "the battle of the sexes is over," they disagree. And they have evidence. They cite data from the U.S. Department of Education that indicate "a year out of school, despite having earned higher college GPAs in every subject, young women will take home, on average across all professions, just 80 percent of what their male colleagues do."
These Newsweek editors kept quiet a long time because, "In countless small ways, each of us has felt frustrated over the years, as if something was amiss. But as products of a system in which we learned that the fight for equality had been won, we didn't identify those feelings as gender-related. It seemed like a cop-out, a weakness, to suggest that the problem was anybody's fault but our own." That reminds me of the pile up of small slights for women in science, which I posted about a few weeks back. These Newsweek editors also said that no one would tell a new woman today that "women don't write here," but that of 49 Newsweek cover stories last year, only six were written by women. Women are getting hired more, sure, but they aren't taking home as much pay, and they arent getting the coveted status. Also true in Academia. Why does this inequity persist?
One issue the Newsweek editors raise that resonates with my earlier post about the Shirky rant is that women don't want to be seen as pushy. They know by experience that if they do take on that persona, the reaction will be a strong push-back and an award of the b-word. Women, including women in science, consistently get negative reinforcement for being pushy and positive reinforcement for being nice and waiting their turns.
What do you think:
A. Women in science (and at Newsweek) should say, "No more Ms. Nice Guy."
B. Women should forget all this advice and just do what they feel most comfortable doing.
C. Women should find a way to get what they want without being jerks.
Hi Puzzled,
I decided to cover it because it fit with the Shirky rant, which was suggested by someone who commented on an earlier post. The real topic is this: Should women in science be more aggressive in asking for/demanding what they want? I think yes, up to a point. I wouldn't say turn up the b-word to the maximum, but I would argue that a strongly assertive presentation of what a women is doing well is a very good idea. Could be a career changer too.
cheers,
Laura
I am not really on the same page with Newsweek editors, and I guess we're all women but I'm not sure it's closely related to women in science. Laura, why did you decide to cover this item on this forum? I'm puzzled.
Dear getting along fine,
I know what you mean. I enjoyed interviewing a woman in oceanography for my AWIS Magazine article on women working in the arctic, Women on Ice. She was clearly a person with respect and authority at work but enjoyed being in a non-tenure track position where she had no committee work and could choose to focus on just research and her family, which is very important to her. I can see there's a spectrum here, with some people wanting very different mixes of these two components. Thanks for bringing that up!
cheers,
Laura
B Maybe not all women want to be in those top leadership positions. Maybe teaching part time works for some of us. Don't assume that everyone wants to be on top of the heap. I like having time for my family instead of being a workaholic.
I'll pick C.
I don't do this now, but I think it sounds like I should tell people what want, at least. It's a bit scary to me. When I was a student, professors would recognize that I was doing a good job with a good grade. Now, it seems that everyone gets the same kind of job evaluation and I feel like no one knows I go the extra mile and do really good work.
A!! Come on, women, have some ovaries. Tell them what you have to offer. They'll never ask! FBP
