Disrupting the Culture of Silence

“Although frequently considered the ultimate bastion of liberalism, academia in the United States remains plagued with inequalities. Shining a spotlight on this dirty little secret, revealing how specific inequities operate, and offering solutions to them are the subjects of this superb volume edited by Kristine De Welde and Andi Stepnick. Although their focus is on gender inequality within the United States, attention is also given to the situation of minorities who suffer the double-whammy of being in more than one discriminated-against group, such as women of color or transgendered academics.

This volume does an exceptional job of tracing the history of change within the academy and is required reading for courses and scholars in the field.”

- Sex Roles

"The intended audience is women faculty, though this includes tenured and tenure-track professors, contingent faculty and lecturers. By focusing on faculty in particular, the editors are able to reveal longstanding inequalities amongst a population presumed to be of power, making individual stories and quantitative statistics alike salient to those with experience of any kind in higher education. The book provides solidarity for women faculty, and breaks down complex social and institutional problems in a digestible introduction to gender inequality. Beyond the intended audience of women faculty, Disrupting the Culture of Silence is a useful resource for anyone looking to start a conversation on gender inequality in higher education"

Pedagogy and the Human Sciences

“Case studies, personal narratives and experiences, qualitative (interviews) and quantitative research raise readers’ consciousness about oppressive structures and cultures that impact women in academe. Women have made gains in the academy in terms of their increased presence, but major challenges remain. In this sourcebook each essay builds on existing research and offers suggestions for changing oppressive structures and cultures. I highly recommend this book to institutions that value diversity (without which academic excellence does not exist) and desire to create a healthy, productive environment for a truly diverse and representative faculty and administration. I also recommend it for female and male faculty and administrators impacted by cultures of silence and who are interested in disrupting and dismantling those cultures.”

- Teaching Theology and Religion

"Although frequently considered the ultimate bastion of liberalism, academia in the United States remains plagued with inequalities (Buckley 1951). Shining a spotlight on this dirty little secret, revealing how specific inequities operate, and offering solutions to them are the subjects of this superb volume edited by Kristine De Welde and Andi Stepnick.

The volume does an exceptional job of tracing the history of change within the academy and is required reading for courses and scholars in the field.

Perhaps the main contribution of this splendid volume (beyond bringing together such individually well done chapters) is its emphasis on the gendered aspect of the academy and its explicit linkage of the situation of women in the academy to the plight of women in the society as a whole.

Although the authors are too savvy to offer any quick fix, their diagnosis and documentation of the problem is an important one, which every university administrator should read and which classes on equality and the academy could well include in their reading lists."

- Sex Roles (Journal)

"Engagingly written and rich in formal data and telling anecdote, this sociologically smart collection will be an important tool for graduate students and faculty confronting what remains a male-biased system of higher education. The editors draw on their own interviews with women in many academic disciplines and enlist other researchers and activists to provide a rich and deep look at gendered experiences in academia today. Commendably, the editors give strong representation to women of color, disabled women, and lesbians in defining how 'women' experience (and overcome) diverse challenges. Variation among disciplines and between institutions is also highlighted. The beauty of the volume emerges most in its telling details: e.g., the problematic idea that 'just say no' to service work is a feasible organizational strategy; the value in changing policy rather than seeking ad hoc accommodations; the self-contradictory advice about when in an academic career to have a baby. Excellent bibliography and list of disciplinary and other extra-university resources for change make this book an invaluable resource for all faculty or students looking for insight into strategies for real inclusivity. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above."

Choice (reviewed by Myra Marx Ferree, University of Wisconsin)

"Kris De Welde and Andi Stepnick´s new co-edited book, Disrupting the Culture of Silence: Confronting Gender Inequality and Making Change in Higher Education, is an engaging, evidence-based toolkit for building gender equity in higher education. I just got my copy of the book two weeks ago, and I haven´t been able to put it down.

Disrupting the Culture of Silence is an essential read. More than that, it is a resource that faculty members and administrators will want to re-read, and reference, and use "to make change on their own campuses and in their professional and personal lives." Be sure to get a copy or two for your libraries and teaching centers."

Gayle Sulik - The Society Pages

“What distinguishes this book are the engaging narratives and compelling contemporary research woven throughout the volume that will resonate with many readers, but the editors and authors do not stop with this important knowledge. Through real-life narratives, case studies, resources, tools, and action steps that build off of each other in an intentional manner, readers may transform this knowledge into action where they can work to make change on their own campuses and in their professional and personal lives. As such, the editors and authors walk readers through the complexities of gender inequity in higher education including the intersectionality of gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, motherhood, eldercare, academic jobs, contra-power harassment, trauma, mobbing, action strategies, and numerous other issues. [This] is an important book that contains the various components a facilitator, administrator, or faculty member might intentionally combine to use in provost and dean training seminars, faculty workshops, courses, reading circles, and multiple venues across campuses and professional associations.”

Penny A. Pasque, Associate Professor - , Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Women’s and Gender Studies, Center for Social Justice, University of Oklahoma

FOREWORD
Penny A. Pasque

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION
From People to Policies: Enduring Inequalities and Inequities for Women Academics
Kristine De Welde and Andi Stepnick

PART ONE: THE STRUCTURE
1. GLASS CEILINGS AND GATED COMMUNITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Robert J. Hironimus-Wendt and Doreen A. Dedjoe

2. CHALLENGES OF RACE AND GENDER FOR BLACK WOMEN IN THE ACADEMY
Candice P. Baldwin and Monica D. Griffin

3. CONTINGENT APPOINTMENTS AND THE DIMINISHING VOICE, AGENCY, AND PROFESSIONALISM OF WOMEN
Cecile H. Sam and Adrianna Kezar

4. FACULTY GENDER INEQUITY AND THE “JUST SAY NO TO SERVICE” FAIRY TALE
Karen Pyke

CASE STUDY: LECTURER BARNES: LONG-TERM CONTINGENT FACULTY

PART TWO: STRUCTURE MEETS CULTURE
5. THE INFLUENCE OF DEPARTMENTAL CULTURE ON ACADEMIC PARENTS’ PRO-WORK BEHAVIORS
Julie A. Kmec, Shanyuan Foo, and Amy S. Wharton

6. ASSIMILATING TO THE NORM
Academic Women’s Experiences With Work-Family Policies
Catherine Richards Solomon

7. THE ELDERCARE CRISIS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR WOMEN FACULTY
Gretal Leibnitz and Briana Morrison

CASE STUDY: GRADUATE STUDENT CHASTAIN: NAVIGATING GENDERED FAMILY-WORK EXPECTATIONS


PART THREE: EXCLUSIONARY CULTURES
8. PERPETUATING INEQUALITY THROUGH THE CANONS OF DISCIPLINARY KNOWLEDGE
Barret Katuna

9. CHARACTERISTICS AND PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN OF COLOR FACULTY NATIONALLY
Corinne Castro

10. WOMEN SOCIOLOGISTS AND THE QUESTION OF INCLUSION IN THE ACADEMY
Kristin Marsh

11. NOT THE IDEAL PROFESSOR: Gender in the Academy
Laura Hirshfield

12. INTERSECTIONAL INVISIBILITY AND THE ACADEMIC WORK EXPERIENCES OF LESBIAN FACULTY
Diana Bilimoria and Abigail J. Stewart

CASE STUDY: PROFESSOR LIU: THE MULTIPLE CHALLENGES FOR AN ASIAN WOMAN PROFESSOR IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCE FIELD


PART FOUR: HOSTILE CLIMATES
13. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN FACULTY RESPONSES TO CONTRAPOWER HARASSMENT
Claudia Lampman

14. CONFRONTING FACULTY INCIVILITY AND MOBBING
Susan K. Gardner and Amy Blackstone

15. WOMEN OF COLOR IN THE ACADEMY
From Trauma to Transformation
Molly Everett Davis, Halaevalu F. Ofahengaue Vakalahi, and Renay Scales

CASE STUDY: PROFESSOR SMITH: EARLY-CAREER MOBBING AND STUDENT HOSTILITIES


PART FIVE: TOOLS FOR CHANGING THE ACADEMY
16. MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES FOR CREATING CHANGE IN THE ACADEMY
Elizabeth J. Allan

17. WITH SO MANY PROBLEMS, WHERE DO WE BEGIN?: Building a Toolbox for Change
Abby L. Ferber

CASE STUDIES OF RESISTANCE AND FEMINIST CHANGE


ONLINE RESOURCES
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
INDEX

Kristine De Welde

Kristine De Welde is Associate Dean of University-wide Programs and Faculty Engagement in Undergraduate Studies at Florida Gulf Coast University. Her research and teaching interests include gender, women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), sociology of families, sociology of food, and service learning.

Andi Stepnick

Andi Stepnick is Professor of Sociology at Belmont University (where she served as chair of the department from 2003-2010). She earned her Ph.D. from Florida State University. She teaches classes in the Sociology of Gender, Family Problems: the Sociology of Health, Illness & the Body; Restorative Justice; Visual Sociology; and Men, Masculinity & Media. She researches gender and social movements, popular culture, and pedagogy. Since 2002, she has organized and facilitated a variety of workshops and seminars on workplace diversity issues.