Showing posts with label MLA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MLA. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

"Standing Still" Report

So the Associate Professor report by the MLA just came out. And the findings are very uninspiring:

On average, it takes women from 1 to 3.5 years longer than men to attain the rank of professor, depending on the type of institution in which they are employed and
regardless of whether they are single, married, or divorced or have children.

Respondents in private independent institutions report the longest period of time spent at the rank of associate professor for women (9.6 years) and the greatest discrepancy between women and men in length of time before the promotion to professor—9.6 years, compared with 6.1 years for men, a difference of 3.5 years, or 57.4%.

And there is more.

Percentage of Male and Female Professors 'Very Satisfied' With Measures of Job Satisfaction

Work Condition Men Women
Authority over content of courses 92.3% 85.9%
Authority over what courses you teach 72.1% 61.1%
Time available for class preparation 41.6% 24.0%
Authority over non-teaching duties 42.6% 32.1%
Time available for work as adviser 38.8% 28.1%
Time required for work as adviser 38.5% 26.5%

MLA's Conclusion: "Men report greater job satisfaction than women in almost all cases; women at the rank of both associate professor and professor feel less authority, autonomy, and control over their work lives than men do."

Maybe this is what we, feminists, should talk about instead of this endless blabber about weight and Sex and the City.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

MLA Experiences

If you thought I was done narrating my MLA experiences, you were really wrong. There are too many of them. And as much as I suffered in the process of actually living them, it's kind of nice to remember them now.

This was part of my most horrible MLA experience.

Interviewer 1: (Asks me some question).

Interviewer 2 (under his breath): God, here he goes again with the idiotic question.

Interviewer 1: Did you just call me an idiot?

Interviewer 2: If you insist on asking the idiotic question all over again, then what does that make you?

Interviewer 1: So you are saying I'm an idiot?

Interviewer 2: Yes, I guess I am.

Interviewer 1: You know what? YOU are an idiot.

Interviewer 3 (leaning in to me, in a whisper, visibly embarrassed): I'm so sorry, we all had a very long day. Please don't mind us.

Me: Oh, it's ok. (An uncomfortable pause with Interivewers 1 and 2 glaring at each other). So... should I answer the question?