A few years ago I remember reading an article about the fact that as women become more senior in their disciplines they start to encounter more sexism. For a long time I've been trying to figure out how that worked - was it that senior women encountered senior men more often, and were thus encountering old attitudes?
Recently, after a particularly upsetting incident, I realised what it is. It is that as we become more senior and have more experiences, we simply see sexism more. We are more aware. As junior women, when we encounter a microaggressive comment, it's just one papercut. Maybe it's one of those very subtle papercuts that you don't even notice until a few days later when you use rubbing alcohol.
But as you become more senior, you become more aware. You start counting these comments, and noticing them more and more.
"What's the big deal? Who cares what they say?" the well-intentioned male colleague says. The big deal is that at work I am Scientist first, Woman second. Men that treat my science as secondary (or even peripherally) to my gender insult my intelligence and insult my years of hard work to get to the place I am at.
Furthermore, the fact that these comments are unequally delivered is particularly infuriating. If, when my male colleagues had newborns, people said, "OMG! How will you survive as a professor??? How will you keep your research program afloat?! AUGH!!!", it would be ok. If, when my male colleagues wore colorful clothing, their senior colleagues stopped them in the hallway and said, "Please don't take this in the wrong way, but that shirt really brings out the color of your beautiful eyes.", it would be ok.
But it's not equal. Women-as-mother, women-as-sexulized-object - these take first place. Women-as-scholar, woman-as-professor is in the back seat.
So what do I do in these situations when they happen to me? First, my heart starts pounding. I think, "This is A Moment! I am supposed to Say Something!" Then, I stop. I realize this person is just clueless. They have no idea that they are saying all this dreadful stuff only to women and not men. They honestly have no earthly idea. Finally, I ask myself if this is a Teaching Moment or not. It usually is not, at least not right then.
These attitudes are so ingrained in our culture, they are just a part of how many people think. Publically humiliating the offender will not suddenly make them change their ways. But sometimes I desperately want to.
Why do gender stereotypes persist? Because these guys watch a lot of TV, I have no doubt. Ever watch Big Bang Theory, with the beautiful but dumb Penny, the plain but smart - unless her boyfriend gives her a tiara Amy Farrah Fowler, and Bernadette (whom admittedly I don't know much about since I watched the show after Amy Farrah Fowler's character degenerated from a female Sheldon to a female-who-wants-to-get-into-any-man's-pants) .
Look at any cartoon show - 90% of them have male heroes. 80% of them have male heroes with female sisters who are portrayed as bossy, clueless know-it-alls.
The drama shows? 80% male heroes, 20% female. I don't watch Covert Affairs, but we've got a spy whose not supposed to admit to anyone, let alone her family , that's she's a spy. But she does! (In other words, women are weak.)
House - I really don't understand the popularity of this show. In real life House would have been kicked out of the hospital, but in the show he gets away with everything including his disrepect for his female boss - who is of course in love with him...
But the sit-coms are really egregious. Two Broke Girls? A woman who used to be rich can't figure out how to get a good job so she won't be broke anymore? No, she's too dumb to be anything but a waitress? (Not that there's anything wrong with being a waitress when you're first starting out or earning money while you're going to college - but not something to make a career out of!)
I blame mass media for the continued marginalization of women at a time when women can be anything they want - but don't scale the heights because they've been taught - even subliminally where they don't realize why - that they mustn't and still be liked by the men who surround them.
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