Letters posted here are associated with the following article:

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Letters
Monday, September 22, 2008 12:00 AM

Show me the sexism!

Men with retro views of women's role get paid more, a study finds.

The letters thread is now closed.

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Tuesday, September 23, 2008 11:54 AM

Ashapee takes a transparent cheap shot

I want to thank Ashapee for making my point so eloquently when she launched a transparent, laughable ad hominem attack:

You don't look like you read Ms Clark-Flory article; it doesn't make any of the accusations you're reading into it. It was more about asking questions than offering explanations, actually. And you apparently haven't read the other letters either, since the explanation you offer has already been suggested, and with a less resentful language.

For someone who accuses others of ignoring things, you seem to pay very little attention to what you read, either in the original post or in other letters here.

I sure paid attention to this laughable and ludicrous cheap shot, in which Ashapee proved my point: she ignored the arguements I made, diminished the arguements by accusing me of resenting CF (I don't resent her, I just think she hates men, is grossly sexist, dishonest and a lousy reporter), and as a typical feminist, launches a personal attack rather than discuss the reality of gender conditioning and how it plays out in the marketplace.

Here's a clue, Ashapee. I don't see anything that requires me to read every inane letter before I post a critique of CF's sexism.

And while I am calling you dishonest and manipulative, please point out to me where the points I made were discussed in the article.

Oooops, forgot. Those points weren't made. I guess you didn't pay attention.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:35 AM

@ btrader

"Is it misogynist to, once again, request a science and/or math "reporter," I guess the right word would be contributor, for broadsheet?"

You are not, and I agree!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:19 AM

Men choose family over work and get punished for it, too.

My hunch is that men with an egalitarian view of the sexes spend more time at home with their families; in seeking to spend more time with their families, they are walking the same work/life line that keeps many women from earning higher wages.

At first glance, my household appears to be divided on traditional gender lines: I stay home while my husband goes to work to earn a paycheck. But my husband, taking a long view of life, chose stability over risk when taking his job(meaning making less money in the tech sector where he works)and is clear with his employer that his family life is his first priority.

Does this mean he is home to change diapers and give the baby a bath? Yes.

Does this mean hasn't been promoted as quickly as others with his same skill set and abilities? Possibly, yes.

Ultimately, like many women, he chooses time with his family over hours at work.

Unfortunately, employers often don't recognize that healthy, whole human beings make the best employees. And families - with available PARENTS - grow the healthiest children. And healthy children make for a healthy society.

It's a vicious circle: until we recognize the worth of the whole human being, regardless of gender, we won't achieve equality among the sexes. And without equality among the sexes, it's hard to raise children who view the world through egalitarian eyes.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:19 AM

Typical liberal bias

is apparently inherent to ALL major academia, media and organizations.

the prejudice comes first. The data is massaged to fit the prejudice.

EXACTLY what I, and many others, have been arguing for years-- that all of these organizations are fundamentally ANTI-MALE and PRO-FEMALE, regardless of what the actual data might say.

I have no need for academic disinformation to tell me the whole of society is constantly biased AGAINST the needs of men.

But thanks for playing...

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:07 AM

@mccfan

Great post! When you write: "Instead they treat gender attitudes from the period 1979 to (I think ) 2005 as static by averaging all their gender attitude scores for the entire period (the data collecting group went back at 2 year intervals)." Am I correct in understanding that for each individual they generated one gender attitude score? If this is in fact the case, we should completely ignore the results as the study. They made no effort to determine the role that salaries might play in determining gender attitudes; don't allow for the fact that gender attitudes might change over time; etc.

Drowning in confirmation bias......

Is it misogynist to, once again, request a science and/or math "reporter," I guess the right word would be contributor, for broadsheet?

Having far more experience with the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth than I care to get into right now, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that disinterested analysis of this data has turned many politically correct notions on their head.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 08:56 AM

I e-mailed one of the authors, his explanation doesn't quite wash

Like the author of this piece, I questioned the possibility of a causal mechanism. The author sent me a copy of the paper. There is no direct test of the supposed causal mechanism, and in fact there is no direct test of the idea that it is attitude that drives salary rather than the other way 'round. It is certainly possible that men with low salaries develop a sense of empathy and from there more egalitarian attitudes about gender. And the odd thing is that this was a panel study, so the authors could have tested to see which came first--the salaries or the gender attitudes. Instead they treat gender attitudes from the period 1979 to (I think ) 2005 as static by averaging all their gender attitude scores for the entire period (the data collecting group went back at 2 year intervals). That stacks the deck in the direction of the argument that gender beliefs lead to salary results in a way that is not supported by the data.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 08:46 AM

Is this as easy as

that the most aggressive men tend to become the leaders. Aggression being associated with 'male' and least associated with 'female', these men tend to look down upon women because their own egos naturally gravitate towards such a black and white conclusion-- man=aggressive, woman=not aggressive.

It is not even a leap to then see them populate the upper echelons with people like them, aggressive men who look down on women.

there is no mystery. but there is sadness.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008 12:33 AM

Indeed, when?

I want to point out Malusinka has asked an interesting question: whatever the explanation for the difference observed in the study (aggresiveness, sexism, different work targets or habits, etc.), is this explanation valid now, or at some point in the last 30 years? An impact on the first 10 years might result in self-propagating differences that last till now. I find this possibility much more likely if the reason is sexism per se (which seems less likely) than if it is aggressiveness. What do y'all think?

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