A Perspective on Sexism

Here is a reply I wrote to the following post on a Librarian blog I frequent.

The last paragraph of her post:

As you can see, I have very mixed feelings on this whole gender issue thing and I don’t quite know what to think. I’ve been hesitant to write anything about gender issues, because I don’t really feel like I fully understand it all myself and I certainly don’t know how to make things better. But I thought maybe a confused post might just be the best kind, because it raises questions. Sexism isn’t what it was in the 50’s. It’s not so overt and it doesn’t limit our opportunities as much as it did before. But it does still exist in many subtle forms that are much more difficult to identify and eradicate. But is it really the reason that there are fewer women participating in tech conferences? I don’t know. Has it kept me from succeeding in this field and getting speaking gigs? Definitely not. I’ve gotten much more recognition in the past year than I rightly deserve. And I only really know from my own experiences. But, like I said before, maybe it’s because I’m more on the idea side of tech than on the coding side. Maybe there still is an old boys network in the world of digital librarianship. Dorothea and Karen would certainly know better than I. But how do we fix it? I think it takes a lot more than putting more women in speaker roles at the Code4Lib and Access conferences, though that is a start. How do we change attitudes? How do we change the subtle messages girls get in schools that leads them away from tech and self-promotion in the first place? It’s not something I have any answers to.

My reply:

Meredith,

I haven't commented in a while but something about this topic caught my attention and pulled me out of my RSS reader and into the real site to leave my thoughts.

I am a tall white male.  According to most sociological finding I am darn near the most likely demographic to be taken seriously.  I am tall - people turn to tall people first.  I am a man - historically we have been in charge.  I am white - enough said.  On the other hand I grew up relatively poor and overweight and without a strong family history of college.  I didn't have a computer I had regular access to until after high school.  Compared to some I am the poster-child for privilege to others I am behind the curve.

I think the milieu of possible sexism (or with a slightly larger view; racism, agism, or any other -ism) you are highlighting the difference between equal opportunity and equal outcome.  It seem to me that the latter cannot exist without the former; but also will not equal the former without time passing.  Even then, natural predispositions and other soft factors will affect the equality of outcome. 

What I mean is this: Years ago women, blacks, the poor, and other marginalized groups had a much harder road to hoe if they were to try to open a business, go to college, or pursue a degree in a field dominated by the majority.  This is simply not the case today.  I work for a black man, a woman dean, a chaldean; I employ every ethnic group it seems, EXCEPT white.  In my capacity as a grant writer,  I see the grants that are available in education and a LARGE portion of them are formed to benefit exclusively (or at least predominantly) minority groups.

I think that as much of the world turns to the net to arbitrate relationships - academic, social, business, avocational - the physical indicators of status (height, weight, race etc.) will prove to be a lot less accessible and a lot less important.  Who wrote the wikipedia article on diodes?  Were they black?  Who manages msn.com?  Is it a woman?  Who knows.  Who cares.  Meredith, you are the only librarian I have in my RSS reader - not because you are "cute" or white or tall or have good teeth (I have no idea apart from what you divulge); but rather, because you know a hell of a lot more about social software and the writing industry than I do and you write with such authority and lucidity.  This is true now and will only become more true with time. 

What I am describing is admittedly a macro view - and as such will not stand up to every individual instance of sexism that I am sure still occur here and there; but overall, I think that things are improving quickly and at a quickening pace.

Comments

[DK]

Agreed Doug, good points.