COLLOQUY

THE QUESTION

RESPONSES

BACKGROUND

Second, I wanted to share the important findings from my own empirical research. I sent one of four versions of a CV to faculty around the country:

job applicant Karen Miller
job applicant Brian Miller
tenure candidate Karen Miller
tenure candidate Brian Miller

The only difference between Brian and Karen was their first name and I used the actual vitae I had used when I applied for an academic job and when I went up for tenure. Subjects were not told that the purpose of the study was to look at gender inequity and the study was done completely anonymously so subjects would be more likely to give candid responses.

The results were chilling: BOTH male and female faculty were SIGNIFICANTLY more likely to indicate that they would hire the applicant when they had received Brian's vitae! While they were equally likely to tenure Brian or Karen Miller (unfortunately I had used the vitae I had used to get tenure early, with numerous pubs and extramural funding, etc.), there were 4 times as many cautionary comments written about Karen Miller than Brian Miller!!!! For example, "We would have to see her teaching,", "We would have to see evidence that she had gotten these grants and publications on her own." etc.! With literally identical records, Brian sails through external reviewers without a problem but Karen needs further scrutiny.

The study is currently under consideration at SEX ROLES: A JOURNAL OF RESEARCH, following their initial requests for revisions. (The reviewers were very enthusiastic but I am somewhat unfamiliar with the style of social psychology articles, given that I am a neuroscientist.)

The conclusions I draw from this experience have been:

1. The discrimination IS REAL and I believe, largely unconscious.

2. Many women are likely internalizing the lifelong message they are receiving about the lesser potential of women scientists.

3. You can conduct research in this area even if you are not a social psychologist!

4. Since the vast most job applicants are eliminated prior to the job interview, these results seem to call for the blind review of job applicant vitae.

I would be greatly interested in your thoughts and anecdotes.

-- Rhea Steinpreis, Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (posted 6/8, 1:55 p.m., E.D.T.)

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