Unsurprising in the fields of anthropology and archaeology, where such issues are still rampant.
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2020/5/29/harvard-anthropology-gender-issues/
An excerpt:
I’m struck by the ages of the 3 men: 68, 73, 75 and wonder how they couldn’t have been moved into retirement. One has diabetes and stage 4 prostate cancer.
I read the whole article. First and foremost, men need to stop. In the meantime, women need to resist and report regardless of effects on career. Longterm, that is the only way to progress.
I do think that increased attention to the issue of harassment will mean that female students have a harder time finding mentorship, and the idea of going out for dinner or drinks with a male mentor seems unlikely.
So either way, women lose out. Harrassment or avoidance of the appearance of harassment.
The real answer is more female faculty.
1 Like
@compmom - So, you’re asking women to take one for the team and report sexual harassment even if this means that she never gets an academic position in the field of her doctorate? Why not instead tip the scales in terms of hiring more women professors so women aren’t beholden to me for mentoring? In my anthropology department there were 200 qualified applicants for a tenure track position and a state flagship university. There are plenty of qualified women to hire.
I wrote “the real answer is more female faculty.”
And yes, women need to resist and report. I am not speaking abstractly here (personal experience). The #MeToo movement helps.
Interesting, I didn’t realize these fields had a “reputation.” Can you tell us a bit more?
I’m an archeologist. Archeologists have field schools, often with groups of students living together in a remote location which often leads to lots of partying leading to uninhibited behavior. Many women are put in uncomfortable to dangerous situations. You might imagine archeologists working with a small brush delicately excavating but often times there is lots of brush clearing, possible use of large machinery, digging with picks and shovels, or hiking long distances off trail. This can lead to a macho atmosphere where being strong and tough is valued and puts women at a disadvantage. Granted, many other skills are of equal and greater value in being an archeologist, but at the entry level, there is the hazing of physical work in sometimes adverse conditions. There can be a lot of travel requiring archeologists to work closely with colleagues and time away from families. Definitely a history of a work hard play hard mentality.
It’s Harvard. Do as we say and not as we do. These 3 should have been fired long ago.