‘Quiet Desperation’ of Academic Women

by E Wayne Ross on June 13, 2008

Inside Higher Ed: ‘Quiet Desperation’ of Academic Women

Interviews with 80 female faculty members at a research university — the largest qualitative study of its kind — have found that many women in careers are deeply frustrated by a system that they believe undervalues their work and denies them opportunities for a balanced life. While the study found some overt discrimination in the form of harassment or explicitly sexist remarks, many of the concerns involved more subtle “deeply entrenched inequities.”