Gender Bias/Discrimination

The "evident" problem - does it still exist?

A gender discrimination problem is the easier problem to recognize, once the victims have spoken up. If many qualified women claim that they were rejecteed from some position and the statistics give them credence, it is fairly evident that there may be a gender discrimination issue.

Gender discrimination, both conscious and unconscious, is the easy and naive approach to the shortage of women faculty. While this approach may have sufficed a few years ago, it appears to be losing validity as a current argument for the shortage of women faculty. True, most people agree that gender discrimination in the field has been a substantial barrier in the past, but recent trends seem to indicate differently for the present day [interviews].

"Reverse" discrimination - better treatment for women

In fact, the issue of "reverse" discrimination is gaining more and more attention. Women feel that they are getting better treatment than their male counterparts. While some women see this as a positive and advantageous change, many feel

• less confident, believing that they have been selected for advancement simply because they were female, not because of their skills
• angry at not being treated as equals and eager to prove that they don't need special treatment

Even if a woman is not treated in a special manner just because she is female, the fact that she may have been can be unsettling to a woman, thus affecting both her confidence and performance.