New MIT report discusses challenges faced by female faculty

Colleges & Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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<p>*...Several of the issues identified as problems for women today reflect a sense that MIT is officially in favor of advancing women at the university — and a perception from some that such a commitment must mean that standards are being compromised at some level.</p>

<p>In one discussion held with women on the faculty as part of the preparation of the report, one faculty member reported that "undergraduate women ask me how they should deal with their male classmates who tell them that they only got into MIT because of affirmative action." That comment, the report says, "prompted some women to note that when they win an award or other recognition it is not uncommon for a colleague on the selection committee to say, 'it was long overdue that the award be given to a woman,' indicating that gender was a significant factor in the selection. These kinds of statements deprive the awardee of the satisfaction of knowing that it was purely because of respect for her accomplishments that she got the award."</p>

<p>With regard to hiring and promotion, the report notes that MIT has made significant efforts to educate search committees about the way bias can affect the way women are evaluated, and that the sources of bias affecting women at MIT can be scholars elsewhere. For instance, MIT has focused on the issue of letters of recommendation — which can be extremely influential for highly coveted positions at an institution like MIT — and the way women may be evaluated more on "temperament" than on their science.</p>

<p>But these various education efforts are having an unintended consequence, the report finds: "the perception that standards for hiring and promotion of women faculty are lower than for male faculty." One woman is quoted in a typical comment as saying: "In discussions I hear others saying 'oh, she'll get tenure ... because we need to have women.' Makes it sound like the standards of excellence are not the same for men and women."</p>

<p>The report finds that these attitudes are "disquieting to women faculty," quoting women as saying, "I am very worried about making too much effort to recruit women, and the perception that women are not as good." And: "I felt I was invited to interview because I was dazzling, but now I wonder...."</p>

<p>All Women Aren't 'Soft and Sweet'</p>

<p>The report notes that one of the continuing problems faced by women is a perception that they are all "soft and sweet" and possess certain stereotypical characteristics, and that they are somehow disappointing when they don't fit into those expectations.</p>

<p>"There is an expectation of niceness, sweetness. It's everywhere. Students, collaborators all make this mistake," one woman told the authors of the report.</p>

<p>The flip side of these expectations is also problematic, the report says. It notes that "assertive behavior may be judged as inappropriately aggressive in a woman, but applauded in a man." One faculty member commented that the "acceptable personality range is narrower for women than men" and that "at a retreat, a male colleague commented on a top woman giving a talk 'she's awfully aggressive, isn't she?'"</p>

<p>Related to these stereotypes, women reported that it is assumed that they — more than their male colleagues — will make time to be a mentor, and will be willing to talk about such issues as work/family balance before any audience. In fact, some women reported that they don't have time to be mentors or a desire for public discussion of their work/family issues.</p>

<p>Work and Family and Bias</p>

<p>On the issue of work/family balance, the report notes that there is a specific set of "biological challenges" faced by women that are not the same as those for men. And the report applauds policies on family leave, child care and other related issues that have helped many women (and men).</p>

<p>But the report notes that even though "family friendly" policies are open to and used by men as well as women, many female faculty members feel that these issues are considered theirs alone. One woman was quoted as saying: "Why does 100% of the conversation about balancing work and family only involve women? At a departmental visiting committee, I was asked in hushed tones, 'How's daycare?' I wanted to say, 'Why did you ask me, I don't have any kids?'"</p>

<p>And some women interviewed cited stereotyping, "especially among older male faculty, that being a parent and a successful MIT scientist is not possible." One woman told the authors of the report: "An older colleague told me I would not get tenure if I was bouncing a kid on my knee at night."...*</p>

<p>MIT</a> again reviews status of women - USATODAY.com</p>

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<p>Or pre-frosh women and their friends/classmates. I’ve gotten that a lot.</p>

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<p>navie - </p>

<p>as someone who helps pick the women who come to MIT, and who knows directly how awesome y’all are, anyone who says something like that to prefrosh (or current student) women MIT students is a contemptible moron, and the proper way to deal with them is to ignore them because it would be impolite to stare. </p>

<p>sincerely, </p>

<ul>
<li>me</li>
</ul>

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<p>I would also say that the OP perhaps selectively quoted. For example, the article also says this: </p>

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<p>Everyone who is familiar with the issue knows that women have been historically underrepresented in science and math. That’s why MIT issued the original report addressing the issue 10 years ago. For a long time, it was 80% men at MIT, and one coworker in the office who graduated in the 80s was told by a professor “you shouldn’t be here, you took the spot of a better boy.” </p>

<p>But I think it is also rather to our credit that we recognize this and moved to change it. I know plenty of great young women here. Many of them work for me as bloggers. One of them, a current freshman, I have known since she was 12 from her involvement in FIRST Robotics. </p>

<p>I mean, women don’t have it as easy as men do in math and science. No doubt about it. The social forces that have historically contributed to that underrepresentation are weakened but still powerful. But I do think that MIT is a great home for young women who want to pursue STEM, and I feel lucky to work with so many of them.</p>

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<p>this also seems appropriate: </p>

<p>[MIT</a> Admissions | Blog Entry: “MIT (Maker) Women Rock”](<a href=“http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/life/women_at_mit/mit_maker_women_rock.shtml]MIT”>http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/life/women_at_mit/mit_maker_women_rock.shtml)</p>

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<p>I never had anybody at MIT even subtly intimate that I (or any female I knew) was there because we were women. The only place I ever heard things like that were a) high school and b) CC.</p>

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<p>i just can’t imagine men at MIT saying ‘you’re only here because you’re a girl’ to women. unless they’re homosexual or something most would rather have perhaps a slightly weaker woman, but more of them, than same-stat women but a lot less. and also, i can say with full confidence that women are just as smart as men–in any field (and i’m a guy). the reason that there appears to be a lot less math and science oriented women is because of perhaps both slight social stigma and maybe also a slight difference in genetic disposition towards it.</p>

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<p>well that was a very weird post</p>

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<p>O_O</p>

<p>Sent from my iPod Shuffle.</p>

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<p>I just know I won’t be able to quite say what I want to say very well … It’s hard to be concise and yet effectively explain how deeply I relate to sentiments like these. It’s always validating to see them in print.</p>

<p>I’m in my 50’s. As a much younger woman and young girl, I was VERY aware of how ‘soft and sweet’ I was supposed to be. I don’t know that I was routinely TOLD that, but it was definitely transmitted through society at the time.</p>

<p>I tried hard to be what I was supposed to be, while at the same time pursuing my traditionally “masculine” (and genuine) academic and extracurricular interests. (I had traditionally “feminine” interests too, but somehow they weren’t problematic for me, lol.) By the time I entered the very male-centered college I attended, I was well aware of how difficult it was to balance my natural curiosity, assertiveness, and drive to learn with my desire to be socially acceptable and soft and sweet. I became socially anxious over the whole thing, which took some time to sort out.</p>

<p>To this day, more than 30 years later, and still in a very male-dominated field, I find myself keenly aware of the average 60-year-old man’s expectation that I be “sweet and docile” while performing a job that’s much better suited to “assertive and smart.” In fact, that’s why I was hired – just like them – because I’m good at the assertive and smart part. (I’m kind and sweet enough, but not “demure.” It’s the assertive and opinionated part that gets their goats. My co-workers and bosses are pretty much ALL assertive and opinionated – but they’re ALL men, too, as in 100% of them. Assertiveness is so much less “attractive” on a woman … and we women should always be “attractive.” :))</p>

<p>There are a few big differences between “now” and “then.” First of all, I’ve noticed that the men I work with who are, say, about 8 or more years my junior seem to generally have fewer biased expectations than men my age and older. Is it because the younger men have “grown up” with more enlightened attitudes as society has changed? And secondly, I no longer care (much) if my co-workers, bosses, and subordinates don’t see me as “soft and sweet.” Soft and sweet has NOTHING to do with my job – and nobody I work with is soft and sweet! I must allow their bias must be THEIR problem. When they confront me about such a thing (generally in a friendly and “helpful” way, because they DO like me … they just expect me to be a “woman” first and a competent employee second, in some strange way, while at the same time holding me to a very high standard of “competency” – it has the potential to be confusing!), I make this clear to them: I’m different, and I’m not bothered by the fact that you’ve noticed. I’ll continue being myself, and you can continue to “evolve” along with me.</p>

<p>As a very good (male) friend says of my predicament, “For over 30 years now … training them one man at a time.”</p>

<p>I have definitely, at times, felt the disappointment of my peers, my bosses, and my subordinates, because I wasn’t fitting into their expectations, in terms of my demeanor. Many times I have been aware of the “narrow personality range” that has been set aside for me. It has not always been easy to resist responding to their expectations, even though I find their expectations to be unfair. It’s easy to be suddenly too much of a woman in one circumstance (applying lipstick or filing my nails unexpectedly; being “too social” with other workgroups), or too little of a woman in another (giving a directive to a co-worker; speaking with confidence), while all along, I’m really just being myself!</p>

<p>I have slowly but surely made my own way and been true to myself, allowing the men who don’t understand me to grapple alone with their own lack of understanding. My field is SO homogenous (pretty much all white, conservative men with very similar backgrounds) that they don’t find themselves with “diverse” people very often. After a very short while, almost without exception, they come to appreciate me and treat me with a great deal of respect, probably much more than if I had tried to please them by fitting into their narrow range of expectations. And I have preserved my integrity. Everybody wins.</p>

<p>All this to say … I can relate to the women faculty who were interviewed and to the researchers’ findings. I do think these attitudes persist in some measure. But there has been much enlightenment, and there will continue to be improvement. Some women love math and science, or other traditionally male-dominated fields; for them, there’s really no alternative … they need to pursue what they love. If they find that people around them hold them to some sort of impossible standard (be sweet and demure AND assertively, commandingly good at what you do), they should remember who owns the problem and let THOSE people live with the problem.</p>

<p>I’m a huge fan of “diversity.” And that’s one of my very favorite things about MIT – their pursuit of diversity, and the fact that they manage to pull it off! As in my own personal story, I believe that when we’re exposed to somebody new and different, we all win! :)</p>