Gender imbalance in number of educators teaching some subject at some school: when is it a problem?

[Boojatta]

Also, does it depend on the subject area?

For example, if 75% of the professors of English Literature at some school are women, then is that a problem?

For example, if 70% of the professors of Women's Studies at some school are men, then is that a problem?

[nichomachus]

1. Why would it be a problem?

As long as the people are qualified to teach what they teach.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Because there are some colleges who explicitly or implicitly limit who can teach what

There are very few male tenured womens studies profs. White profs are not going to be the ones teaching black or latino studies. The concept is that certain life experiences are required to teach in certain areas.

[Boojatta]

9. "certain life experiences are required to teach in certain areas"

Of course that is true. For example, it's doubtful that anyone begins by deciding to become a professor and later chooses a subject area at random. Thus, some life experiences presumably create a personal interest in a certain subject area. However, perhaps I'm wrong. For example, suppose that a student who speaks only English randomly chooses this subject area: Japanese literature and linguistics. To become a professor of Japanese literature and linguistics, the student will require certain life experiences: the experience of learning the Japanese language to a high degree of proficiency, the experience of reading Japanese literature, the experience of taking courses for official academic credit at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, the experience of writing essays, etc.

Thus, it seems that certain life experiences are automatically required, so there's no need for a college to impose an additional limitation on who can teach what. However, perhaps we should consider a different subject area that has a large ideological component. For example, consider religion. Is it possible for an atheist who was never an adherent of any religion to have both a genuine interest in religion and also expert level knowledge of some religions? Alternatively, are academic institutions entitled to assume that a lifelong atheist is automatically unqualified to be a professor of religion? Does it matter if an academic institution receives government subsidies? In particular, do institutions that receive government subsidies have a right to reserve some paid employment opportunities for believers only?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

11. Its really borderline discrimination but that is well tolerated in academia

And I say that as a professor with tenure.

[Chulanowa]

2. Well, simple fact is, diferent genders tend to be drawn to different subjects

Women are uncommon in heavy math. Not because they're bad at it or are being blocked out, but simply because there's little interest. Whether that's cultural or not is the question. But like the above poster, so long as the teacher is qualified and capable, I don't see why it would be an issue. After all most students are going to only have one teacher on the subject a year, probably more, so it's sort of like it being100% of that gender anyway

[Captain Hilts]

3. Then how come women's colleges have a full slate of math majors?

You obviously haven't read the engineering school 'news'paper at the University of Toronto. It creates a hostile environment for women.

[Chulanowa]

4. I'm afraid I haven't, no

Care to enlighten me?

[Captain Hilts]

7. Oddly enough, it just full of foul humor that is sexist and generally...

vulgar. Once, they took the university's main paper - the "The Varsity," - the oldest college newspaper in N. America, and stuck their own inside, so the rest of the campus got to see their sophomoric crap.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. College majors is a classic example of where the results of free choice

get protested later as discrimination. Females students are numerically dominate the liberal art programs. Liberal arts majors make much less than what technical majors make, sometimes as high as 50%. The subsequent salary difference is later painted as discrimination against women.

[blueraven95]

8. well, in a lot of ways isn't it?

why do some fields, that are predominantly filled with men, make so much more - even though the amount of education (and in different ways, the difficulty of said education) is the same for both? It seems to me to suggest that fields that attract men are higher than fields that attract women.

Never mind the fact that women are usually steered away from technical fields at a much younger age - by the time they've hit college, it's often already too late.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. The technical fields make more due to relative scarcity

The equivalent education/worth argument dies in the marketplace. Sociology majors, regardless of gender do not make what chemists do. Can't find it right now but the majority of premed students are currently women, as I think are med students. NYT recently had an article about the dearth of female CompSci students, and area that used to have a much higher percentage of women. Even to them it seemed a choice issue, rather than steering. C

I see the steering by educators as a thing of the past. No professional educator is doing that today.

[Captain Hilts]

12. The math teachers in my high school were athletic coaches and retired naval officers.

The naval officers were generally good teachers, but the whole thing kind of left the female students feeling a bit left out.

A couple were USNA grads and since women weren't admitted to USNA until my senior year in high school, that was another kind of disincentive.

No doubt these experiences affected college choices for a lot of people.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

13. Did you go to Punahou?

That was certainly the case there for Obama

[One_Life_To_Give]

14. Formative Years?

By the time a student reaches the university it shouldn't be an issue. When the students perceptions/observations might have more impact would be at younger ages I think. What message is given to an 8yr old girl who observes all the Industrial Arts teachers are men and all of the Home Economics teachers are women?

Not to imply that there must be a gender balance in all subjects during those years. But it should be addressed when kids observations give a message that we would prefer they not learn.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

15. What school still has Home Economics and Industrial Arts?

Actually the majority of elementary teachers are women, regardless of topic.

[seabeyond]

16. i am looking more at younger ages, elementary and middle school

watching my boys going thru the system and having all female teachers. then they got into middle school and listening to them with male teachers i saw a difference. made me realize how only having females thru elementary was not a disadvantage, cause i dont allow my boys that, but did deprive the boys of a certain understanding all those years, a different perspective and denied the girls too.

not that i am concerned that anything will or should be done. how it trends. but good for parents to recognize so they can talk to children about this perspective, so the children do critical thinking is all.

[Captain Hilts]

17. It also makes them associate female authority with being a kid. It's one of ...

those subtle things that makes men resent taking orders from women. They feel like they are in elementary school.