BIOETHICS

The Bioethics Imperative XXXII
Does Gender Matter?
(continued from the September/October 2007 issue of the ASPB News)

“Mokita”: The truth we all know and agree not to talk about. Papua New Guinea

The preceding TBI presented two scenarios addressing gender discrimination. We continue here with two additional scenarios, concluding with a suggestion that I hope will help you succeed in your career.

Scenario #3: A short, rather mousy-looking woman with brown skin joins the faculty at the same time as a tall blonde with a radiant complexion. Both excel in their careers, but the route for the first woman is probably five times harder in terms of raises and opportunities both within her department and outside it.

Hard to imagine that physical stature and skin color make a difference these days in the USA? Do looks still “make the man”? Unfortunately, a recent study indicates just that: Physical attractiveness, especially skin color and height, makes a difference in perceptions of success (1). This perception often leads to more favorable treatment of those deemed more attractive.

Scenario #4: A chairman is doing a report for his dean. In it he tracks salaries for all his faculty members. He documents that all females have lower salaries than their male counterparts. He justifies this by saying that women are not there on the weekends or at night and are not as meritorious as the men in the department. He turns in his report to the dean with no qualms.

On an individual basis, pay inequity is not a concrete issue. There is no question that work–life issues play an important role in the way that women and men live their lives. Women are far more likely to shoulder the bulk of child care and eldercare than are men. Someone has to go get the kids! This situation is exacerbated by the fact that white women earn roughly $0.74 and African American women $0.65 for every $1.00 a man earns (2). The one who gets paid less “should” or sometimes “must” take on more of the unpaid work of having a family, thus creating a vicious cycle. It is important to note that pay inequity is not just a women’s issue, but a family issue.

On paper, universities are making great strides in ameliorating pay inequities, but we are not there yet. In sports, despite Title IX, we have a ways to go too. Indeed, entire fields can change in value depending on the fraction of women in the field. It is a fact that as men enter a female-dominated field such as nursing (3), the average pay increases. Conversely and logically, as women enter a male-dominated field such as law, the average pay declines. There are even some fields where women have no place (4). Two examples are noteworthy: It was only in 2007, during its 371st year of existence, that Harvard University elected its first female president. And the United States has yet to elect a female president, lagging far behind other countries in Europe and Africa.

In concluding this two-part column, it is worth thinking about what you can do to increase your chances of success and avoid being a case in an ombudsman’s file. If you are being reviewed in an environment composed of people with a gender or sexual difference (e.g., woman in a predominantly male department, gay person in a predominantly straight department), then your portfolio needs to be especially well crafted. To increase the probability for a favorable review, you need to educate others in your department about who you are, what you do, and your future plans. And, to preempt possible prejudice, you need to do this well in advance of when you are up for promotion. This is sound advice for anyone who stands out from the norm in any work or social situation. As you become proactive, you will see greater opportunities to be included on projects, grants, and committees.

Next time: Sexual Harassment Cases from NSF

Dina Mandoli
dina.mandoli@gmail.com

Acknowledgments: I thank one anonymous faculty member and one anonymous staff member for their input and discussion surrounding this topic. I thank Vidhi Tyagi for editing a draft of this column.

References

1. Loller, T. (January 27, 2007). Income higher for immigrants with lighter skin, researcher says. Associated Press. http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=skin27&date=20070127
2. Sandoval, S. (April 21, 1998). Pay equity: Not only a women’s issue. The Daily News Bulletin of the Los Alamos National Laboratory. http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/pa/News/042198.html
3. Schrieber, R. S., Nemetz, E. (2000). Pay equity and nursing in Ontario: Ten years later. International Nursing Review. 47:97–105. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1046/j.1466-7657.2000.00011.x
4. Professor says seminary dismissed her over gender. (January 27, 2007). New York Times. http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res= F30C16FB3C5B0C748EDDA80894DF404482