Chilly Climates

1. Chilly Climates October 16th, 2006

2. What might it look like? • Seeking advice on a term paper, a student visits her professor during office hours. She becomes exceedingly uncomfortable when a pornographic screensaver appears on his monitor…she leaves his office before getting the necessary assistance. • In a male-dominated learning environment, female students take complicated routes to class in order to avoid leering and sexualized, inappropriate comments from male peers. They also change the way they dress, hoping that it will make a difference… • A gay student feels alienated and fearful as both professors and students engage in homophobic humor in his classes and labs. He wonders what they’ll do if they discover he’s gay. • In the classroom, a professor discusses his love for women’s breasts. A student hides behind her clipboard, hoping that her breasts do not become the focus of his attention. • A group of male students on the steps of the University Centre loudly express that all faggots should be shot.

3. What do we mean by ‘chilly climate’? • Receiving a message of being unwelcome • At workplaces: workplace barriers (‘glass ceiling’) and/or sexual harassment—‘hostile environment’ • At schools: ‘chilly climate’

4. What do we mean by ‘chilly climate’? • “subtle ways women are treated differently—ways that communicate to women that they are not quite first-class citizens in the academic community.” (Sandler & Hall) • ‘micro-inequities’ that add up to a bigger picture of a chilly climate for women faculty and students

5. Chilly… • women students are treated differently, by men and women faculty alike as well as by their fellow students • Ultimately: • undermines women’s self confidence in their academic ability • lower their academic and occupational aspirations • inhibits their learning • generally lowers their self-esteem • minority men are often treated in the same way

6. Chilly Climate • Devaluation • Stereotyping • Expectations • Harassment

7. Stereotyping • …discourages them from pursuing an academic and professional life • "I’d like to hear from that charming young woman in the front row," rather than "I’d like to hear from Mary who always has such good ideas." • Courtesy and politeness - paternalistic or patronizing: as in "We have a group of lovely ladies in our classroom," • simple "politeness" - "Let me do it for you," deprives her of hands-on experience (as in a laboratory experiment), & communicates their own low expectations of the woman’s ability to complete the task on her own • Not only do men (faculty and students) interrupt women more, women may be particularly vulnerable when they are interrupted • Women are more likely to be singled out in the classroom, as in being asked "What is the women’s point of view on this?" • Women are also likely to be singled out for touching, particularly by male faculty

8. Expectations • value men who are strong and assertive, and may be uncomfortable with women who act the same, because we expect them to be more passive • We expect women to be more nurturing and nice, and men to be assertive; women to be emotionally responsive and men to be emotionally distant. • Women are expected to be more modest about their achievements; men are expected to brag. • In conversation, men are expected to analyze, explain, clarify, and control the topic and flow - women are expected to reinforce and maintain the conversation, to reduce tensions and restore unity. • Men more competitive in a classroom, speaking more often than females, trying to impress others. • Women are more likely to seek intimacy, friendship, and community; men are more likely to seek power and status. More men than women enjoy competitive verbal sparring and controversy • Men are more likely to answer a question quickly; women are more likely to think about what they want to say before they participate

9. Harassment • makes coeducation less equal for girls and women • One study of college students showed that between 70-90 percent of women students have experienced at least one incident • When faculty ignore male student behaviors which denigrate or demean women students • Women students who are hissed or ridiculed by other students when they raise women’s issues in the classroom may also be ignored by faculty • Blatantly sexist remarks about women in general may be overlooked • The impact on women students is strong; it can affect their sense of psychological well-being. • The behavior is upsetting and often demeaning • some women may change their major and their career plans • They may also be angry at men and believe that all men are like this.

10. Devaluation • Men are more often viewed as the more valued students, the more important students. • teachers generally call on men more often • White males generally get the most questions, then minority males, then white females, with black females receiving the least. • Teachers generally pay more attention to male students • Teachers, male and female, give women and girls less eye contact • Teachers are more responsive to comments and answers from males than from females. • Men get more coaching • Men are called by name more often • males and females may be asked different kinds of questions • Devaluation can also be seen when men and women act the same way or have similar achievements, but are valued and viewed differently

11. What about what men experience? • Are chilly climates experienced by women only? • Christine Williams : ‘Glass elevators’ • Men ‘tracked’ towards positions that were perceived as more male-oriented (and ultimately higher status, better paying, involving more decision-making) • Overall a positive experience

12. A look at the numbers… Enrolments (2001-02, % women): • Bachelor 57.8% • Master 51.8% • PhD 45.9% Degrees granted (2001, % women): • Bachelor 60.2% • Master 52.3% • PhD 42.5 %

13. A look at the numbers… • University teachers by selected equity groups (2001): • Women: 27.8% • Visible Minorities: 12.4% • Persons with Disabilities: 9.3% • Aboriginal Identity: 0.7%

14. A look at the numbers… • Full-time university faculty by rank (2001-02, % women) • Full professor 16% • Associate professor 32.8% • Assistant professor 40.8% • Other 53.9%

15. the numbers… • Women who have experienced a chilly climate remind us that letting women in the door does not fulfill obligations of equity Resources: • www.caut.ca • www.fedcan.ca • Stats Can report: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/050224/d050224c.htm

16. The chilly climate for female faculty • Exclusion • Token members • Time is strained • Contradictory expectations of students and fellow faculty members

17. The chilly climate for female students • Don’t see themselves in faculty • Absent from the body of knowledge that they are instructed in • Styles of learning and pedagogy • Question of classroom participation

18. Measuring the Chilly Climate • Perceptions? Subjective? • No empirical measurement tools • These questions of systematic methodology can lead to research on chilly climates being misconstrued as personal

19. Detractors • Concerns over methodology: the ‘veil of anonymity’ • Personal attacks coming from a select few • Challenge to academic freedom • ‘Equity refugees’: seeking work elsewhere due to affirmative action policies

20. Why is ‘chilly climate’ a useful concept? • Connects the macro to the micro • Puts a name to an intangible experience • Calls attention to anti-feminist or anti-equity sentiment in the university • Raises interesting debates about academic freedom • May begin to explain why women leave academe

21. What should we be critical of? • Outdated literature? • Western-world concept? • Chilly for whom? • Dichotomies and essentializing • The remedies • What about what happens at the societal level?