Title IX: What you may not know...but need to

With apologies to my male readers, this week's post is directed toward my fellow female grad students. In academia, it can be challenging to be female. There are not only pressures to be a good researcher, teacher, etc. in academia, but then there are societal pressures to add to the stress. Pressure to be a good spouse, mother, caregiver. This can be especially true in research areas that are traditionally (and currently) male dominated like engineering. In disciplines like these, women are being asked (if not told) to choose. Academia or family. Women who get married and have kids can be perceived as not being serious about their research. Women in these fields feel like they need to choose. That they can't have both. Or while they may want to be professors and love research and love teaching, they believe the pressures of getting tenure and trying to be a good spouse/mom would be too high. Do the costs outweigh the benefits?

These same assumptions are not made about our male counterparts. No one questions a male professor's dedication to his field and research if he gets married or his wife has a baby.  

To be fair, this is not true everywhere, and perhaps the discrimination isn't as blatant as it used to be, but in some ways it can be more insidious. 

Something I want all of my female colleagues to be aware of, is Title IX. From the website http://titleix.info:

"Although Title IX is best known for breaking down barriers in sports for women and girls, it also opens the door for girls to pursue math and science, requires fair treatment for pregnant and parenting students, and protects students from bullying and sexual harassment, among other things."

In 2009, there was an article published by The Chronicle of Higher Education about the third part of Title IX listed above: "Requires fair treatment for pregnant and parenting students." I consider it required reading for ALL of our female students so you are not only aware of your rights, but also the role the University of Arkansas plays, and how you're protected. BY LAW. 

Title IX Includes Maternal Discrimination 

Read the article, and then spread the word. Many of our students do not know about this provision of Title IX, and the legal protections it provides for our graduate student parents. While some graduate student parents have been fortunate, and have had supportive departments who acted in their best interests, and in line with the requirements of Title IX, there have been some who have not been as lucky.

To read more about Title IX, go to the website above, or for more information on Title IX on the University of Arkansas campus, please contact Dr. Monica Holland, our Deputy Title IX Coordinator. 

-- Dawn