LINGUIST List 6.1608

Tue Nov 14 1995

Disc: Gender and Linguistics

Editor for this issue: T. Daniel Seely <dseelyemunix.emich.edu>

Directory

1. Deborah D K Ruuskanen, Re: 6.1598, Gender and Linguistics
2. Monica Macaulay, Women in Linguistics

Message 1: Re: 6.1598, Gender and Linguistics

Gender and Linguistics: Number of women professors
In a recent article (November 3 1995) in the Times Higher Education
Supplement (England), Helena Kennedy, QC (Law), who is Chancellor of
Oxford Brookes University, states that only 5 percent of professorships
in the UK are held by women. She quotes a figure of 16% for the USA.
She also talks about a "glass ceiling which exists for women" which is
hard to challenge because it is so difficult to see. She also talks
about the "inadvertantly biased choices, which regularly creep into
appointment committees". I have known male colleagues uphold the
appointment of a man over an equally-or better-qualified woman because,
after all, "HE has a wife and child to support, and SHE has a husband."
Women have children, and men have jobs. The article goes on to describe
some of the components of the glass ceiling and suggests one or two ways
to remove the "inadvertant" bias in appointments and promotions, a bias
which she says (and I believe her) also exists in tribunals hearing
cases of accusations of discriminatory practice.
The article is an extract from Chancellor Kennedy's introduction to an
anthology of profiles of women academics to be published next year by
Manchester U. Press, in conjunction with The THES.
I will be happy to FAX a copy of the article to anyone interested who
sends their FAX number.
Cheers, kela
-
Deborah D. Kela Ruuskanen \ You cannot teach a Man anything,
Leankuja 1, FIN-01420 Vantaa \ you can only help him find it
druuskancc.helsinki.fi \ within himself. Galileo

For those of you who are interested in the topic of women in
Linguistics, we would like to call your attention to a symposium which
we have organized for the 1996 LSA in San Diego, CA. It is titled
"Addressing Bias in Linguistic Example Sentences: Are Guidelines
Necessary?" and is scheduled for Saturday, January 6th, 8:00-9:30 pm.
The symposium will address the issues of gender and heterosexist bias
in constructed linguistic examples, as well as the need (or lack
thereof) for the LSA Guidelines for Nonsexist Usage.

- Monica Macaulay

Organizers' names and email addresses:
	Victoria Bergvall, vbergvalmtu.edu
	Colleen Brice, colleenbmace.cc.purdue.edu
	Monica Macaulay, macaulaysage.cc.purdue.edu