ACADEMIA A BASTION OF SEXISM?
Despite formal gender bias being less prevalent in academia, female faculty members and graduate students at Harvard still face barriers. Professor Naomi Schor of the Faculty's Standing Committee on the Status of Women notes that many male colleagues privately hold contempt for feminism. Some women report more blatant sexism, like a humanities teaching fellow who encountered a male colleague who doubted women's intellectual equality in science. Female professors often face challenges like being subjected to inappropriate jokes and having their fields taken less seriously if they are seen as "women's fields." Expectations of what a Harvard professor should look like also pose challenges, particularly for younger women. Advancing in academia can be tangibly more difficult for women, with some fields, like science, being particularly challenging. The tenure process has been criticized for disadvantaging women, especially those engaged in interdisciplinary or innovative work. Despite the low percentage of tenured women, there is optimism that change is slowly occurring, though issues like balancing childbearing with a high-powered career remain unresolved.| Creator |
Colon, Tara L.
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| Publisher |
The Harvard Crimson
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| Date |
1998-05-15
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| Format |
Digital
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| Local URL |
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1998/5/15/academia-a-bastion-of-sexism-pwhile/
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| Tags | Advocacy, Student Publications |
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| Date Added | July 10, 2024 |
| Date Modifed | January 7, 2025 |
| Collection | Harvard and Gender Discrimination |