Sexism in the academic workplace: fact or fiction?

The Hook & Eye blog exudes personality. The home page is bold and demanding and the site's title banner is curiously eye-catching with the intentional lower case letters and blue and orange/gold colour scheme. Under the title banner are the options “Home”, “Contribute”, “This month in sexism” and “Editorial Policy”.  “This Month in Sexism” piqued my curiosity immediately.  To determine whether or not it is true that sexism has been banished from Academic society the blog began a monthly post about sexism in pedagogical society. Readers are invited send in instances of their own encounters with sexism in the academic sphere with the intention of initiating a dialogue on the subject of sexism in the 21^st century, how it has it evolved and why it is still prominent.

In response to a post consisting of “gobsmacking true experiences” a 25 year old named Anna commented, saying “most of these incidents don't seem at all like sexism to me. They are rude things to say at best. I think these women are reading too much into very innocent comments and should just get over it.” She proceeded to break down each individual comment and evaluate whether it was sexist or not.  Her opinion on the subject as a whole is articulated in the final paragraph of her response:

I think in most of these cases you are just projecting your own insecurities onto the world around you. If you expect to see sexism, you’ll find it in every innocent comment and situation. If you think of yourself as an equal, as an expert in your field, and carry yourself that way, then your colleagues and students will treat you that way too. Occasionally you will still come across that sort of sexist stupidity, but the people responsible are a dying breed and are not really worth so much of your time and energy. And if these things really bother you, you need to deal with them head on as opposed to whining about it on a blog read by other like-minded women. The men and women who are treating you this way are not reading this blog.

I find it fascinating that she thinks that if we expect sexism, we'll find it, as if being aware of it makes one a magnet to gendered marginalization. She makes the assumption that "The men and women who are treating you this way are not reading this blog."  Perhaps, but what about those who are? While she criticizes the blog for being read by predominantly "like-minded women", I find myself struggling to discern what precisely she finds to be problematic. I imagine she feels that this blog has a small, similarly impassioned audience and thus operates with a high level of bias.  She insinuates that by addressing these issues on a blog these women were being ineffectual and petulant instead of being proactive in real life. She also stated that most of the incidents listed (which you can read here ) were not sexist but merely rude. One of the few that she considered genuinely sexist was the following: "My first professional advice? "Women can't direct Shakespeare"  to which Anna replied "Yeah, this one is pretty stupid. Did you go and prove him wrong or did you just whine about it on a blog?"

I disagree with the implications of this statement. The authors are individuals who are evidently aware of the importance of technology in our modern day society and in my opinion the fact that they are posting on a blog shows that they understand the value of the social network that we now operate within. Where better to communicate with the younger generation than on a blog? The advent of the internet has allowed us to evolve beyond being an audience and become critics and writers as well. The internet generation has spawned a whole revolution of the dispersement and evaluation of information. We are no longer confined by credentials; having access to the internet gives you the freedom to voice your opinion to an absolutely massive audience, which is exactly what the writers of the Hook & Eye blog are doing. If they were giving lectures about this at universities or discussing it in specialized conferences they would be reaching a fraction of their potential audience. Therefore, I feel that a blog is an excellent medium in which to examine the position of women in the academic sphere and discuss personal opinions and experiences with a wide-reaching audience. I think it is narrow-minded to assume that only "like-minded women" would read a blog that is available to anyone with an internet connection.

As to whether or not the instances outlined are, in fact sexist, I think that sexism isn't something we can generalize. If a remark is made and it offends or hurts the person it was directed to then it is detrimental, regardless of whether it fits someone's definition of the term. Anna seemed to think that the author of the post was being over-sensitive and while some of the remarks made could easily have been directed to a man, the fact is in that instance it was said to a woman and it was said carelessly and I think a thoughtless, cavalier attitude to sexism is as much a problem as over-sensitivity to sexism. I do not believe that those who exhibit sexist beliefs are a dying breed. I have met many people my (and Anna's) age who still believe that women are not as capable as men and continue to draw a line between the sexes. I also disagree with the fact that "If you expect to see sexism, you’ll find it in every innocent comment and situation. If you think of yourself as an equal, as an expert in your field, and carry yourself that way, then your colleagues and students will treat you that way too". I agree that body language and self-confidence can affect the perceptions of those around us but I also think that some people adhere to their opinions of you regardless of how you project yourself. Therefore, I believe that both approaches are necessary for affecting the existence of sexism in the workplace: projecting confidence and capability among your colleagues and discussing the issue on a large-scale forum in order to engage in a social dialogue.