Re: MentorNet (one woman's response)

[James Mackey <jmackey@HARDING.EDU>]

So, what shall we do?  A. Shall we require that every new physics hire
at University X shall be a woman until the % of women in physics becomes
equal to ~50%?  (regardless of whether or not an equally or better
qualified male applies or not).  B. Or shall we try to educate those
chauvinistic male administrators to the fact that women can be equally
effective as men at any position they are equally prepared for, and
perhaps try to encourage and support women in their efforts to obtain
advanced degrees in physics? I believe that A. is closer to the actual
way affirmative action has manifested itself in our society.  What
solution do you suggest?

Hugh Haskell wrote:

> At 12:19 -0600 10/11/02, Jim Green wrote:
>
> > Are we now back to the question of racial parity in the NFL?
> Affirmative action does not have to, and is not intended to, apply to
> every aspect of society, only to those areas where discrimination
> based on factors irrelevant to the position exists. Are there any
> white football or basketball players who are not getting a fair
> chance to play in the NFL or NBA  *because* they are white? I doubt
> it. But there are pockets of discrimination even there. It is only
> recently that there have been any black coaches in the NFL and not
> much longer in the NBA. One example form a few years back is black
> quarterbacks in the NFL--there weren't any. Some fought it and lost,
> others switched. One switcher I know of was Gene Washington, a star
> wide receiver with the 49ers for several seasons. As an undergrad at
> Stanford he was on his way to becoming an outstanding quarterback,
> black or white. But in his junior year, he switched to wide receiver
> to improve his chances of succeeding in the NFL, where *no* black
> player had ever served as a quarterback.
>
> But it wasn't all that many years ago when there were no black
> players in either the NFL or the NBA. Since Jackie Robinson broke the
> barrier in baseball. But no one is arguing that white players are
> being discriminated against in any sport. If there aren't a
> representative number of white players there, it is because they have
> freely chosen to put their efforts elsewhere.
Maybe they are being discrimated against simply because they cannot jump
as high or run as fast as black players which maybe part of their
genetic makeup they cannot change.

> Now, back to the subject. Are there barriers to women entering
> physics? Just ask any woman now studying physics or who recently
> earned her PhD. The only difference between now and a generation ago
> is that now the barriers are more subtle. That makes them much more
> difficult to combat. There are still colleges out there with nepotism
> rules that prevent a woman from taking *any* position at a college
There are colleges with nepotism rules that prevent any family member
from taking teaching positions where another close family member works.

> that employs her husband. That may have made a modicum of sense in
> the 30s, when people were eating in soup kitchens and in many
> families there were *no* breadwinners, but I think it cannot be
> justified now.
The nepotism rules are usually intended to prevent faculty inbreeding
and personal interest conflicts when family members work under one another.

> It remains difficult for a woman who takes time out to
> have a child or two to get back into a college position. The
> "re-entry problem" is a real impediment to women in science and
> probably all the professions, but especially in science, where a
> premium is placed on "remaining current."
It is difficult for any person, male or female to take a few years out
of the research profession and then return and step right back into
their previous status.

> As member of a distinct
> minority both as students, post-docs and junior faculty members,
> women find themselves ignored or trivialized or both in many
> departments (there are notable exceptions, and their number is
> growing, fortunately, but not fast enough).
I have no experience with this.  If this is true then its a sad situation

> The situation is clear,
> when one looks at not only the numbers decline as one moves up the
> academic ladder, but also the average age at which those who do get
> promotions compared to the men who get similar promotions. Not only
> do the women get fewer promotions, but they tend to be older than
> comparable males when they do get them.
>
> It is situations like these that call for affirmative action, not
> getting more white players in the NFL.
>
> Hugh
> --
What are the solutions to this problem that can correct the inequilty
without creating a additional inequity?
James Mackey

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.