Articles for Women Faculty

 

The articles below all have reviews written for them. We did not include articles that received poor reviews. We were looking for articles that go beyond just describing the problems (which we are all quite familiar with). Below you will find articles that focus on identifying reasons and solutions for the challenges we face as women faculty.

:: "Don't go it Alone"

Ellen Ostrow, The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 2002.
http://chronicle.com/jobs/2002/08/2002081201c.htm

**** A must read for any faculty member. Dr. Ellen Ostrow takes the basic research that illustrates the biases and extra challenges that women and/or people of color often face in academia and offers an antidote. With very clear and realistic suggestions, Dr Ostrow shows how you can build a network of supporters and pave a smoother road to success.

:: "A Study on the Status of Women Faculty in Science at MIT"

Members of the First and Second Committees on Women Faculty in the School of Science, 1999.
http://web.mit.edu/fnl/women/women.html#The%20Study

****Only a summary of the results are shown in the public report, so it is not very long. It is worth reading because it finally gives some concreteness to the vague notion of "climate" that women experience. Some of the interesting results include the fact that junior female faculty tend to be quite comfortable and yet senior women feel excluded and invisible. This was even true of the previous generation of junior faculty. That is, women didn't really feel excluded until they got to a point that "real power" was being withheld. Also, the hiring of women jumped considerably when the Dean took an active role with the Chairs in identifying potential female candidates.

:: "U-M study helps define why fewer women choose math-based careers"

Press Release, May 2003
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-05/uom-ush052203.php

**** A short summary of research done at the University of Michigan which shows that girls are just as good in math as the boys, but the girls are looking for things that "help people." (Interestingly this is the same results that were found in the Carnegie Melon Study in "Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing." By Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher) Boys are often interested in math simply for the fascination with it whereas girls want to know how it will help people. This information can be used in curricula to help recruit more girls into the mathematical sciences.

:: "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"

Peggy McIntosh, Winter 1990 issue of Independent School.
http://seamonkey.ed.asu.edu/~mcisaac/emc598ge/Unpacking.html

**** A fascinating read. Dr. McIntosh, Associate Director of the Wellesley Collage Center for Research on Women, tries to address the unawareness of men and their advantage in the academic system by looking at the advantages she has taken for granted by being a white person in America. It is eye opening in terms of understanding race relations as well as why the vague notion of "climate" may not make sense to some men.