Disclaimer: I struggled with whether I should put this under “Access and the Cost of Higher Education” or “Changing Numbers.” I thought about access because of the question of access for women but in this situation we’re not talking about financial cost. However, we’re not talking about largely changing numbers either. In the end, I feel like it relates more to changing numbers than access.
I found the article in this week’s Chronicle, A Scholar Helps Architect Barbie Get Off the Drawing Board, quite interesting and thought-provoking in more than one regard. To quickly recap, the article tells how Despina Stratigakos, an associate professor of architectural history at the University of Buffalo crusaded for Architect Barbie to be the newest of Mattel Inc.’s “I Can Be…” doll series. This Barbie series “is designed to inspire your daughter to discover her dreams through a variety of empowering career-themed roles, from the nurturing Pet Vet Barbie doll to the geek-chic Computer Engineer Barbie doll.” The article discusses how much of a positive influence Architect Barbie can be for young girls because the chances of them becoming architects are incredibly low. Forty percent of architecture graduates are women but only 17 percent will join architecture’s primary professional group, the American Institute of Architects.
I recently read an article, Gender Equity in Higher Education: Are Male Students at a Disadvantage? The article concludes that males aren’t in fact lacking opportunity, more so women and minority students are gaining opportunity in higher education. However, the article also discusses the difference between men and women in degree attainment levels and in which fields. While women obtain more Associates, Bachelors and Masters degrees, men are still obtaining Professional and Doctorate degrees at higher levels. Furthermore, men are still obtaining the majority of degrees in fields that have higher wages like engineering and business.
These articles bring to light many questions for me. If men are still the primary degree holders for higher paying jobs, is there true equity? Will there ever be? Why aren’t more women pursuing higher paying careers, like architecture? What sort of affect do children’s toys and games have on this trend? What affect do family and mother rolls play in the career decisions of women? On the opposite hand, what affect do family expectations have on men when choosing careers? And what role do society expectations still have on men and women when choosing careers?
As much as we like to believe that gender roles in society are becoming less of a factor, I can’t help but believe that this is still the primary reason for the lack of equity across the board for men and women. On the Mattel web site I linked to above, there are “I Can Be” Barbies for a Pizza Chef and a Babysitter. Thank you, Mattel, for telling my daughter that she can make pizzas when she grows up! The fact that those two “careers” are “empowering” enrages me. What are we teaching young girls about what they can be when they grow up when these are the things they see as young as three and four? Furthermore, their explanation of what these dolls are “designed” (see quote above) for is directly geared at girls. What if my son wants to play with Barbies and my daughter is in to trucks and motorcycles?
From a career standpoint, I think there are similar struggles. Even as a woman with a career I love (and no, I don’t get paid the big bucks), I feel like there is pressure surrounding maternity leave and having family priorities outside work. I can honestly say in my situation, these are probably pressures I put more on myself than I feel from anywhere else. I definitely do not feel pressure from my direct supervisor but the same could not be said about everyone I am surrounded by. Being an Admission Counselor isn’t a high-powered, high paying job so I can’t even imagine how women who are doctors, lawyers and architects feel when they are trying to balance achieving the best possible career position while still being mom and wife.
To tie this together so you don’t all think I’ve been on a feminist rant, I’d just like to ask at what point this pressure starts for women/girls? Is it as early as two and three when we’re picking out toys? And how, in higher education, do we help support women who are striving to be in high-powered positions?
Side-note: While searching online for Mattel’s purpose for the “I Can Be” series of Barbies, I found this blog by a female scientist. If for nothing but a good chuckle, you should read it.
Dana - thanks for an intersting post. On the one hand I feel like "way to go Barbie!" On the other hand I'm not running out and buying one for my daughter.
ReplyDeleteAnd in thinking about my own daughter, who is albeit only 2.5, your post brought up a number of things for me. One is that I'd like for a study to be done about why women choose the careers they do. While I agree that a lot of socialization is done beginig at an early age that may either guide women in one direction or another I sometimes feel like we "poo-poo" fields that are considered more feminine as second choice fields - i.e. education. I didn't choose education because I couldn't do other things but because of a love for helping others and for the teaching/learning process - so in some ways as a feminist I'd like to see a stronger embracing of the feminine charactersitics that draw women to these kinds of fields. All that being said, I do agree that gaps exist and that the socialization of girls does in some cases limit the kinds of choices young girls and women will make when it comes to career. I heard a story earlier this month about a student who was the only girl in her physics class - she was taunted every time she walked in to class and more than once her professor encouraged her to consider "other options". She stuck it out but against incredible odds.
Additionally, I've been very struck lately by the kind of evaluation that pervades so much of our lives - this good that is bad - more money and longer titles equals greater success and happiness. I'd be interested in what might come out of these studies if we changed the metrics by which we measured success.
Great post - get me thinking - and before I get out my reading for class I'm definately checking out these new barbies!
Libby - thanks for your comment. :-) I agree with you about measurment techniques. I think all of us in higher ed are a perfect example. No, we're not rolling in the dough but we're all very successful if you ask me! You'll have to let me know what you think about the Barbies. hehe
ReplyDeleteIt is fairly interesting that a product that is (in my opinion) very stereotypical in terms of what it portrays the female ideal to be, is being used to recraft the image of what women can be.
ReplyDeleteIf one of the goals of gender equality is to remove stereotypes and empower young girls to make whichever educational / career choice that they want, then the "Pizza Maker" Barbie seems just as relevant as the "Architect" Barbie. I may want something different and more grand for my daughter, but my job is to make sure that she knows she has any opportunity available to her.
As the mother of a six year old girl, I would love to see a campaign for "I Can Be...a girl who doesn't play with Barbies". My experience has been that, albeit with good intentions, gender stereotyping starts the minute the little girl (or boy) comes home. Clothes in certain colors, rooms painted certain colors, particular toys, etc.
How we help women who want to be in high-powered positions, I don't honestly know. I don't have any immediate desire to rise to a higher position...but that's because of the politics involved, not any apprehension about being a female. I think it's important to continue to have women reach those higher levels of leadership and provide opportunities for those coming behind them.