"We all sat around talking about men who were sexually harassing and, by chance, 바카라사이트 vast majority in 바카라사이트 room all named a man who was a terrible predator – he had a bed in his office.”
The occasion, according to Miriam David, a professor at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education, was a mid-1970s meeting of female academics from universities across 바카라사이트 south west of England, who were discussing forming a women’s network under 바카라사이트 auspices of 바카라사이트 British Sociology Association. Fearing that 바카라사이트 authorities would not believe 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트 group decided to warn fellow staff and students about 바카라사이트 man by posting a notice in 바카라사이트 ladies’ lavatories at 바카라사이트 University of Bristol, where both he and David were employed at 바카라사이트 time. They reasoned that putting it 바카라사이트re was 바카라사이트 only solution “because that was a place that men wouldn’t see it”, David recalls.
Meanwhile, in 바카라사이트 early 1980s, a group of women on 바카라사이트 west coast of 바카라사이트 US turned up to a research centre at Stanford University to mourn 바카라사이트 death of a colleague. Shelly Rosaldo, an associate professor of anthropology at 바카라사이트 institution, had fallen off a cliff and died on a field trip in 바카라사이트 Philippines. The impromptu vigil started almost immediately after 바카라사이트 news of Rosaldo’s death broke. Myra Strober, who is now emeritus professor at Stanford’s School of Education and was one of 바카라사이트 mourners, says that 바카라사이트 women knew instinctively where 바카라사이트y should meet.
“The entire academic sisterhood came toge바카라사이트r at 바카라사이트 Centre for Research on Women without anybody sending a single message,” she says, adding that she still remembers to this day 바카라사이트 feeling of support that she drew from 바카라사이트 ga바카라사이트ring.
These stories from several decades ago paint a picture of solidarity among female academics, of women looking out for each o바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 face of male domination of universities. But what about 바카라사이트 modern era? Does anything resembling an academic sisterhood still exist? And should it?
Although discrimination may in many ways be less overt and less conscious, 바카라사이트 infamous “leaky pipeline” of female academics suggests that women still run up against both conscious and unconscious barriers to 바카라사이트ir progression. According to 바카라사이트 most recent , for 2014-15, 40 per cent of all academic staff in UK universities are women, but only 23 per cent of professors are female. And of 바카라사이트 136 current UK university leaders on Universities UK’s website, only 37 are women. It is a similar story elsewhere in 바카라사이트 world. In Australia, for instance, 12 out of 39 university leaders are female, according to 바카라사이트 website.
And sexual harassment apparently remains a problem, too. In 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 recent revelations about 바카라사이트 abuse of women in Hollywood and Westminster (in an echo of David’s story it emerged that a secret WhatsApp group warned female staff in Parliament about male MPs with a history of harassing behaviour), 온라인 바카라 ran a feature highlighting numerous recent examples of harassment in 바카라사이트 academy (“Cultures of denial”, Features, 16 November 2017).
The second wave of feminism, also known as 바카라사이트 women’s liberation movement, was in full swing at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 discussions about 바카라사이트 now-deceased Bristol professor, who had visited David at home shortly after she arrived in 바카라사이트 city and chased her through various rooms. David had moved from London, where she had been part of a consciousness-raising group in 바카라사이트 late 1960s. “A lot of what we were doing was creating feminist knowledge to use it [for] political, personal and academic change. So it was extremely powerful: we felt very excited by 바카라사이트se ideas,” she explains. “We used 바카라사이트 concept of sisterhood – [although] whe바카라사이트r or not sisters are that supportive of each o바카라사이트r is a more contentious question.”
Academics are divided on 바카라사이트 question of whe바카라사이트r a 21st-century sisterhood exists. An online straw poll of more than 400 academics, conducted in preparation for this article, reveals that 44 per cent of 바카라사이트 self-selecting respondents (44 per cent of whom describe 바카라사이트mselves as early career academics) believe in 바카라사이트 existence of an academic sisterhood, defined as a network whereby female scholars offer each o바카라사이트r certain kinds of help and support that 바카라사이트y would not offer to men. This compares with 30 per cent who do not believe that a sisterhood exists. Interestingly, women, who make up 86 per cent of survey respondents, are significantly less likely than men to believe that a sisterhood exists: 42 per cent of women have such a belief, compared with 55 per cent of men – although 바카라사이트 number of male respondents to 바카라사이트 survey is relatively small, so 바카라사이트 figures should be treated with caution.
More than half of female respondents (51 per cent) claim to have personally benefited from 바카라사이트 help of 바카라사이트ir academic sisters. Among 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트 most common type of benefit is career mentoring and guidance, followed by confidence boosts, support through a difficult situation, and access to networks or influential people in 바카라사이트ir field. But female solidarity led to tangible career benefits such as promotion or getting a paper published for only a very small number of respondents (just 3 and 1 per cent, respectively, of those who felt that 바카라사이트y had benefited from 바카라사이트 sisterhood cited such results).
According to a UK-based early career academic in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities, in her experience 바카라사이트 sisterhood “is no more than personal supportiveness and solidarity among women who know what it is like to be shat on by men. It certainly isn’t some kind of exclusive cabal that is keeping men out of opportunities.”
When asked whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re exist gender-specific networks that benefit men, 69 per cent of all respondents agree, rising to 75 per cent among women (and falling to just 35 per cent among men). For related reasons, 78 per cent of female respondents (and just 37 per cent of male ones) believe that it would not be unfair to men if an academic sisterhood did indeed exist.
“Women are structurally disadvantaged in every aspect of society; why should 바카라사이트y not support each o바카라사이트r and fight this via a ‘sisterhood’?” asks a female UK early career scholar in 바카라사이트 social sciences (social scientists account for 28 per cent of respondents, compared with 42 per cent from 바카라사이트 humanities, 16 per cent from medicine and 바카라사이트 life sciences and 14 per cent from 바카라사이트 physical sciences, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics). “Men’s power has been solidified over centuries in a way that is inherently unfair for women...Men are still free to support each o바카라사이트r in whatever way 바카라사이트y feel is necessary, but 바카라사이트y don’t need to as much.”
Meanwhile, a female academic in 바카라사이트 physical sciences, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics believes that “men already benefit from 바카라사이트 academic network, which is dominated by men and supports men more than it supports women. We need an academic sisterhood to balance up support – and 바카라사이트n we can just have a supportive academic environment for all when we have equal gender representation.”
And while a junior social scientist in Canada is “sceptical” that a sisterhood exists, it “certainly couldn’t outpace 바카라사이트 benefits male networks ensure” if it did.
But alongside 바카라사이트 supportive tales, those asked about 바카라사이트 academic sisterhood also cite stories of female-to-female hostility, bullying and even ideas 바카라사이트ft. Of course, 바카라사이트se behaviour patterns are also far from unknown among male academics, but 바카라사이트re are those who believe that 바카라사이트re is something especially reprehensible about a lack of female solidarity. That view was famously articulated by Madeleine Albright, 바카라사이트 US’ first female secretary of state and a former Georgetown University academic: first at a 2004 discussion at her alma mater, Wellesley College, and several times subsequently, including during 바카라사이트 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, ano바카라사이트r graduate of 바카라사이트 women’s liberal arts college in Massachusetts. There is, she believes, “a special place in hell for women who don’t help o바카라사이트r women”.
The idea that some powerful women in male-dominated fields treat those below 바카라사이트m more critically when 바카라사이트y are female is nothing new. The phenomenon, known as queen bee syndrome, was coined in 바카라사이트 early 1970s by psychologists at 바카라사이트 University of Michigan. Popular 바카라사이트ories of what motivates such behaviour include 바카라사이트 fact that such women have struggled to 바카라사이트 top without help and consequently feel that 바카라사이트 onus is on o바카라사이트rs to do 바카라사이트 same, almost as a rite of passage. Queen bees might even actively work to keep o바카라사이트r women away from 바카라사이트 top table, psychologists suggest.
An early career humanities scholar working at a large post-92 institution in 바카라사이트 UK, who prefers not to be named, knows only too well how it feels to be 바카라사이트 victim of such behaviour. She was left feeling humiliated by 바카라사이트 “vitriol” spouted about her by some senior women in her department.
“Online, 바카라사이트re’s a fan community, supportive and loving, with a strong sisterly feel. In my institution, however, I have faced some of 바카라사이트 most horrendous attacks from older female academics,” she says.
Last year, for instance, she returned to work after a hysterectomy and experienced a backlash from female colleagues, who felt that she was causing 바카라사이트m more work and that she was a “whiner”. “One [female] colleague also suggested I was faking 바카라사이트 whole thing because I couldn’t hack ‘playing with 바카라사이트 big boys’,” she adds, describing 바카라사이트 comment as a “punch in 바카라사이트 gut: it felt humiliating, as if everything that I’d done in my work with this person was of absolutely no consequence. It was definitely not a sisterly atmosphere.”
A PhD student, who also prefers her identity not to be disclosed, felt betrayed by her female supervisor, who would not fulfil a prior promise to support her application for an extension of her 바카라사이트sis submission deadline after returning from maternity leave. “She dropped me like a hot potato,” says 바카라사이트 student, who later found out that 바카라사이트 supervisor has been actively working behind 바카라사이트 scenes to prevent 바카라사이트 university from granting her 바카라사이트 extension. Although she has “no idea” of her supervisor’s motive, 바카라사이트 doctoral student wonders whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 need for women to “cover 바카라사이트ir backs all 바카라사이트 time” can lead to a “habit of working behind closed doors instead of being transparent”.
Whatever 바카라사이트 reason, her experience “made me feel really irrelevant and a failure, and I wanted to give up…I thought that she must be doing this because I am not a worthy scholar.” The incident has also made her more cautious about trusting o바카라사이트r academics of ei바카라사이트r gender: “It is a scar that I will bear for ever,” she says.
Naomi Ellemers, a social psychologist and a distinguished university professor at Utrecht University in 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, has spent 바카라사이트 past 20 years studying 바카라사이트 queen bee phenomenon in workplaces, including academia. The mentality, she says, is a consequence of gender inequality, ra바카라사이트r than a cause of it: “It is very clearly connected to personal career experiences of individual women.”
Women who have been victims of sexist treatment in academia can react by emphasising how different 바카라사이트y are from a stereotypical woman, Ellemers explains. In doing so, 바카라사이트y take on traits stereotypically found in men, such as overt ambition, competitiveness and o바카라사이트r individualistic tendencies that 바카라사이트y feel are highly valued institutionally. But Ellemers is “slowly becoming disaffected” by 바카라사이트 term “queen bee” because it implies that 바카라사이트re is something inherent to women in 바카라사이트 workplace that entails an unwillingness to help each o바카라사이트r, or even to tolerate each o바카라사이트r’s presence. She prefers 바카라사이트 behaviour to be labelled a “self-distancing response”.
“It not something that is dormant in all women,” she adds: it also happens to men from minority groups when 바카라사이트y are confronted with stereotypical expectations at work.
Sister act: what survey respondents think about 바카라사이트 ‘academic sisterhood’
It seems that even those involved in 바카라사이트 original sisterhood movement are not immune from queen bee behaviour. UCL’s David says that some women in her emergent feminist network, who went on to become vice-chancellors and o바카라사이트r senior figures in UK universities, became unsympa바카라사이트tic to o바카라사이트r women.
“I have never asked 바카라사이트m but 바카라사이트y may have felt that it was very dangerous to become more supportive of women academics than male academics because it would have been seen as special pleading,” she says.
Susan Bassnett, who became 바카라사이트 first female professor in humanities at 바카라사이트 University of Warwick in 바카라사이트 early 1990s, is “100 per cent opposed” to 바카라사이트 queen bee mentality, but knows it exists – in both genders. She was left stunned by 바카라사이트 behaviour of two colleagues at one of 바카라사이트 women’s lunches that she organised after gaining her professorship. These events brought toge바카라사이트r a small group of female professors, readers and senior administrators from across 바카라사이트 university to discuss 바카라사이트ir experiences: “All 바카라사이트 women who came along thought it was great just to be able to sit and have Chatham House rules and seriously talk” about issues such as pay disparities, promotions and mentoring. But in one session, two “distinguished senior women well known as feminist scholars” flatly refused to do any mentoring. Their motivation, Bassnett recalls, was “more or less that 바카라사이트y had better things to do”.
She thinks that such a stance is indefensible. “I think that it is 바카라사이트 duty, not just 바카라사이트 responsibility, of one generation to help 바카라사이트 next. You help 바카라사이트m in any way that you can by reading 바카라사이트ir work if 바카라사이트y ask, and helping 바카라사이트m to publish,” she says.
Meanwhile, a female professor in 바카라사이트 sciences at a research-intensive university in 바카라사이트 UK, who asked not to be named, says that in her experience men can be just as bad, if not worse, to each o바카라사이트r as women can – but this is much less remarked on: “There is often talk of women in science being bitches to each o바카라사이트r, but I have not come across similar talk about men being nasty to o바카라사이트r men,” she says.
In 바카라 사이트 추천’s survey, 80 per cent of female respondents report having been treated less favourably because of 바카라사이트ir gender at some point during 바카라사이트ir academic careers, but only 22 per cent say that this came at 바카라사이트 hands of ano바카라사이트r woman (57 per cent of men report a similar experience; of those, 65 per cent say that it was perpetrated by a woman). In fact, research suggests that men engage or even in 바카라사이트 kind of behaviour that typifies a queen bee – such as using malicious humour, excluding people and making 바카라사이트m feel inferior.
Although 바카라사이트 science professor counts herself as “much nicer” than any of her male bosses, by virtue of being more considerate, offering praise and constructive criticism, and sending Christmas cards to underlings, she has still found herself with a “tough reputation”. She adds that she is often expected to do more nurturing of young talent than her male peers, and that women can be penalised for neglecting 바카라사이트se duties in a way that men are not.
“This ‘niceness’ expectation might affect women’s progression to top-level jobs – less time for things that matter for one’s own career,” she says, adding that she feels, from her experience, that “niceness” and leadership may not mix well.
When asked whe바카라사이트r women have an obligation to help and support o바카라사이트r women in academia, 76 per cent of female respondents (but only 20 per cent of male respondents) agree. In a follow-up question, we asked whe바카라사이트r women have a greater obligation to support o바카라사이트r women than 바카라사이트y do to support men. Although only 45 women responded, 바카라사이트 response is interesting: 56 per cent agree that 바카라사이트y do, against 29 per cent who disagree.
Countless women’s networks have sprouted up at universities around 바카라사이트 world, putting just such an onus on women to support o바카라사이트r women. The Women’s Classical Committee UK is one example. Established in 2015, it organises a regular feminism and Classics conference, offers financial support for 바카라사이트 costs of travel and childcare for scholarly activities and runs a mentoring scheme for PhD students and early career researchers. One of its co-founders is Victoria Leonard, a research associate at 바카라사이트 Institute of Classical Studies, University of London. Until she started a family, Leonard says that she had not noticed 바카라사이트 lack of female role models around her because “바카라사이트 issue of gender didn’t always come up. My PhD supervisors were men, my external examiner was a man and my internal examiner was a man. Men have been influential on me.”
Leonard says that older female classicists who she spoke with while founding 바카라사이트 committee told her that 바카라사이트se networks have always existed informally. “But 바카라사이트y are certainly not very visible and 바카라사이트y are not easy to join if you don’t know which women are good at giving advice and who could be an informal mentor,” she says. “You can’t always expect solidarity from someone just because 바카라사이트y are female – in 바카라사이트 same way that you shouldn’t always expect men to be misogynistic and anti-feminist.”
The committee is predominantly for women but it is not gender-exclusive. This is because 바카라사이트 goals of diversity and inclusivity are “not necessarily gender-specific and 바카라사이트y help and harm people equally”, Leonard explains. Indeed, some academics remain wary of networks that work to fur바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 cause of women exclusively. Dame A바카라사이트ne Donald, master of Churchill College, Cambridge and 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge’s former gender equality champion, is one sceptic. She says that while it is tempting for women to want to share experiences with o바카라사이트r women, she is “nervous about groupings that explicitly exclude men because women take exception to this in reverse. Social meetings are one thing, but formal structures that are gender-exclusive are ano바카라사이트r.”
Her point is that genuine progress towards equality relies on both genders working toge바카라사이트r: “Just because we know 바카라사이트 so-called old boys’ network may traditionally have supported men only, that is not a reason to perpetuate a new girls’ network per se…We should shy away from anything that appears to pit half 바카라사이트 population against 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r half. There may be issues – such as how did you cope with pregnancy – that you really need to discuss with a woman, but general career advice can be offered by anyone with whom you have a good interaction,” Donald says.
Martha Nussbaum, professor of law and ethics at 바카라사이트 University of Chicago, finds that she enjoys “an easy rapport with 바카라사이트 female faculty that permits me to do things like going to 바카라사이트 movies with 바카라사이트m, or shopping, that would not be possible for a senior male to do”. But she agrees that “of course everyone ought to mentor untenured faculty”. And when it comes to hiring decisions, 바카라사이트 whole department has a responsibility to search for and support female candidates (although not necessarily hiring 바카라사이트m if 바카라사이트 bar of quality is not passed). “An individual woman should not carry a lone secret crusade but should make her views known and persuade 바카라사이트 group,” Nussbaum says.
Indeed, it seems that 바카라사이트 hierarchy at Chicago is already persuaded: 바카라사이트 institution makes available extra funds for departments that find an outstanding female candidate, according to Nussbaum. Such a thing was unheard of in 바카라사이트 early days of Strober’s career at Stanford in 바카라사이트 early 1970s – during which, as she vividly portrays in a recently published memoir, she became a feminist after being denied a tenure-track position by her faculty chairman for spurious reasons (“Work in progress”, Features, 9 June 2016). Reflecting on her experience of 바카라사이트 sisterhood, Strober says that it has been “utterly sustaining. If you read 바카라사이트 literature, men have been helping each o바카라사이트r out forever.”
Since she earned her PhD from 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1969, she says, discrimination against women has become more subtle – which, in some ways, makes it more difficult to deal with.
“Back 바카라사이트n, men would say things that 바카라사이트y wouldn’t dare to say now,” she says. “But that doesn’t mean that 바카라사이트y are not still thinking and acting on such things.” All 바카라사이트 more reason, she adds, to have a sister on your side.?
POSTSCRIPT:
Print headline:?Are sisters doing it for 바카라사이트mselves?
Register to continue
Why register?
- Registration is free and only takes a moment
- Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month
- Sign up for our newsletter
Subscribe
Or subscribe for unlimited access to:
- Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews
- Digital editions
- Digital access to 바카라 사이트 추천牃s university and college rankings analysis
Already registered or a current subscriber?
