The hidden sexism in CS departments
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The hidden sexism in CS departments
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Re: The hidden sexism in CS departments
#2I think pressing the issue has to do with if its systemic of the department or an isolated incident at an individual level. If the student has only one complaint against him, I don't know if a reprimand is worthy unless you had multiple parties who felt it was completely out of line. I think making the party aware that how it made you feel is probably the best thing you can do.
Also FYI to the original poster: I'm not sure how private you want the post to be, but just the references to team leaders and fishbowl lets me know you and I went to the same Nike funded school.
I'm not sure how much anonymity matters, but I was able to deduce this rather quickly. I'm long graduated and hold a different degree so I don't know any of the parties but just be wary.
Re: The hidden sexism in CS departments
#3This kind of sexism isnt really isolated to CS unfortunately.
If that guy had called the author the n word, which I'm not sure I can even type without offending someone, the situation would have been handled differently. Interestingly, society will still tolerate derogatory behavior towards certain groups of people, but not others.
Also if that guy were a woman, and the author was a man and the interaction were something like "...I dont like some dick/asshole/jerk* telling me what to do", then the issue wouldn't be about sexism, it would be about one person being inappropriately hostile toward another.
For the sake of discussion, I wonder if it is more useful to boil some feminist issues down into people issues so that more people can relate and respond.
Instead of addressing it as sexism, I wonder if the author brought it up as generic hostile behavior, would the situation have been handled differently... maybe not?
No one of any stripe or colour should have to deal with that kind of attitude in the workplace, whether or not it is sexist, racist, homophobic, or just generically mean, but managers/supervisors can be conflict adverse, and try to avoid reprimanding people in general. Having to deal with the situation is just more work on their plate.
I wonder these things, because I have my own very likely sexism influenced "situation" at work with my boss. Everyone agrees that he is being a jerk, there is no argument there. I also happen to LOVE to explore and discuss gender issues, but when I bring up this situation or others with that lens, peoples' eyes cloud over.
Re: The hidden sexism in CS departments
#4Sexism is if you're Noether in 1915 and you can't get a faculty postion because you're a woman.
Sexism is not if you are being a nag and you get called a bitch as a result. The guy in the story just sounds like a jerk who wasn't taking his TA responsibility seriously.
Finally, even if there were sexism in that one CS departmenT it wouldn't mean that there's hidden sexism in CS departmentS. That's just stupidity and assumption.
Because one female had a problem in one CS department, she implies the same problem exists everywhere from Timbuktu to Helsinki?
Re: The hidden sexism in CS departments
#5Sexism is if you're Noether in 1915 and you can't get a faculty postion because you're a woman. Sexism is not if you are being a nag and you get called a bitch as a result. The guy in the story just sounds like a jerk who wasn't taking his TA responsibility seriously. Finally, even if there were sexism in that one CS departmenT it wouldn't mean that there's hidden sexism in CS departmentS. That's just stupidity and a…
It was abuse, using a misogynistic word, in a department where there is already a dearth of women due to the hostility they face. Brushing it under the carpet by denying her experience isn't helpful. You don't need to read this story to learn of sexism in CS departments, just ask any woman who does computer science and you can hear plenty of stories.
Re: The hidden sexism in CS departments
#6Sexism is if you're Noether in 1915 and you can't get a faculty postion because you're a woman. Sexism is not if you are being a nag and you get called a bitch as a result. The guy in the story just sounds like a jerk who wasn't taking his TA responsibility seriously. Finally, even if there were sexism in that one CS departmenT it wouldn't mean that there's hidden sexism in CS departmentS. That's just stupidity and a…
Sexism can manifest itself in many ways, and the subtle ways arent less legitimate concerns just because it could be worse. "At least youre not getting beaten, be thankful for that".
Sexism can totally be if you are a "nag" and get called a "bitch"!
Talking about an isolated relatively minor situation with the lens of sexism becomes difficult, because without establishing a pattern of behavior, its hard to determine if the situation is sexism or not.
What happens when many females encounter similar attitudes in many CS work spaces. Will we still deny that society isnt perfect?
Re: The hidden sexism in CS departments
#7Here's the problem:
"I immediately apologized"
Why?
Re: The hidden sexism in CS departments
#8I'm sorry, but please learn to differentiate between a shitty day and overall sexism. When people are angry, they'll strike so that it hits the hardest, it just so happened that it was a woman and the derogatory term against her is 'bitch'.
So, please, get over yourself, and report the incident as an incident, not as a case.
Also, tell the kid to grow up, it might help him in life.
Re: The hidden sexism in CS departments
#9Here's the problem: " I immediately apologized " Why?
That is certainly not 'the' problem, which implies that her apology was the only thing anyone in the story should have done differently.
Re: The hidden sexism in CS departments
#10Sexism is if you're Noether in 1915 and you can't get a faculty postion because you're a woman. Sexism is not if you are being a nag and you get called a bitch as a result. The guy in the story just sounds like a jerk who wasn't taking his TA responsibility seriously. Finally, even if there were sexism in that one CS departmenT it wouldn't mean that there's hidden sexism in CS departmentS. That's just stupidity and a…
It was abuse, using a misogynistic word, in a department where there is already a dearth of women due to the hostility they face. Brushing it under the carpet by denying her experience isn't helpful. You don't need to read this story to learn of sexism in CS departments, just ask any woman who does computer science and you can hear plenty of stories.
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