The College Fix

A prof at Northwestern created an interactive graph which supposedly “reveals various truths” about how students view female professors compared to their male counterparts on the site RateMyProfessors.com.

Because — gasp!! — women profs had, on average, more “negative” terminology used against them — words such as “rude,” “mean,” “boring,” and “incompetent” — it’s an example of “cultural conditioning” and gender bias.

USA Today reports:

The graph compiles data from 14 million Rate My Professors reviews so the user can see which words students used to describe either male or female professors. Data is also broken down by subject matter and the user can select whether to sort the information by positive, negative or all reviews based on the numerical rating.

“Gender bias can take many forms, both open and subtle,” says Gul Ozyegin, an associate professor of sociology and gender, sexuality and women studies at the College of William and Mary. “Its presence and extent vary across different contexts and settings on a campus.”

He really seems to care. About what I have NO idea.

“It seems gender bias in science, technology, engineering and math is more prominent due to the underrepresentation of women and minorities in these disciplines,” says Ozyegin. “Where there is less opportunity for students to be taught and mentored by women professors, the less opportunity to counter the gender stereotypes.”

Eden King, an associate professor of industrial and organizational psychology at GMU, says students expect professors to act a certain way, based on their gender. She says, for example, students expect female professors to be nice and, if they aren’t, students react negatively.

“If a female professor is demanding of her students, she’s a ‘bitch,’” says [George Mason student Katy] O’Reilly. “Whereas if a male professor is demanding, then it’s seen as more justified or that he’s a ‘stickler.’ This shows students’ preconceived idea that women are gendered to be less challenging and nice, while men are gendered to be authoritative and deserving of respect.”

Professor Ozyegin says that even she has “even noticed unconscious gender bias in her professional life” (of course! She’s a professor of sociology and gender, sexuality and women studies): “When receiving an award in 2011, she says her introduction overlooked her work as a scholar and researcher. She was instead described as an accomplished and passionate teacher, whereas her male colleagues’ introductions focused on their scholarly and scientific work.”

I imagine Ozyegin would have felt exactly the same way had the male colleagues been recognized for their passion and accomplishments in teaching, while she her work as a scholar and researcher.

This whole Rate My Professors.com kerfluffle sounds akin to that at Rutgers-Camden’s law school, where students had the audacity to comment on their professors’ style of dress.

What should be done about this … “problem?”

The obvious answer should be … nothing. If anyone takes the site’s ratings as gospel for anything other than tips on class readings and needed materials, that’s like relying on a friend’s opinion of a film without actually seeing it yourself. Students should check out this related USA Today article.

His most common RateMyProfessors.com comment:
“Tells it like it ain’t.”

We know by now, however, that just “leaving well enough alone” isn’t sufficient for our contemporary collegiate social justice warriors, so here are some suggestions for taking action on the Rate My Professors’ ratings/comments gender disparity:

• Create a class titled “The Internet as Patripotestal”: Why Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) actually stands for “Hateful, Trenchant, Truculent Patriarchy.”
• Require students to complete an “Internet comment respect” course. (Sound familiar?)
• Lobby the FCC to monitor site comments for gender bias.
• Carry placards around campus that say “Bad Comments, No Peace!”
• Carry a large, flat-screen monitor with the RateMyProfessors.com site on it everywhere you go.
• Do the “Internet Bucket Challenge” — drop a computer keyboard (from a bucket) on your head to protest World Wide Web male hegemony.
• Start a “Hands Up, Don’t Type” movement.

Dave Huber is an assistant editor at  The College Fix. (@ColossusRhodey)

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IMAGES: YouTube screencaps