Men dominate Q&A sessions at academic conferences.
Men tend to dominate the question and answer sessions at academic conferences, potentially exerting significant influence on the future trajectory of scientific research. Recent research sheds light on the reasons behind this phenomenon, revealing that women often hold back for fear of facing a backlash.
Again and again, researchers found that men disproportionately lead the way in asking questions at academic conferences. The phenomenon has been documented regardless of whether more women or men attend the speech. It happens when the speaker is a man and also when a woman is behind the podium. It’s happening at in-person conferences, and according to research published last week in the journal Sex roles, men also dominate Q&A at virtual conferences. Women are special are underrepresented asking the first question.
This male dominance of questions may seem insignificant compared to other gender disparities faced by female academics. However, it is seen by some as pivotal in shaping the course of future scientific exploration. Shoshana Jarvis, a recent PhD graduate of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, and lead author of several studies on the topic, argues that academics use these question-and-answer sessions to generate ideas and inspiration for future directions. for their research. The suggestions provided can give speakers new perspectives on their work. “It’s about whose voices are shifting gears and whose voices are creating the conversation that everyone is hearing,” says Jarvis. In academic conferences, this influential voice is predominantly male.
The gender disparity is not due to a lack of comments and questions from women. Men and women interacted with the survey similarly, and the researchers found no gender differences in the ability to engage with the material and ask questions or comments. Moreover, in some studiespeople interested in asking questions formed a line at the microphone, indicating that the gender difference could not be explained by speakers who called men more often.
Instead, according to Jarvis’ latest research, which is not yet peer-reviewed but has been posted on the preprint server PsyArXiv, women hold back for fear of backlash. In studies using hypothetical situations, women are more likely than men to agree that they withhold questions because “others might think I’m too self-promoting,” “They might dislike me,” or “Others might think I’m too pushy . »
Jarvis explains that the reaction could potentially come from the presenter or other colleagues present. “The way the speaker answers a question can make you feel like they didn’t take me seriously or didn’t think my question was a valid question worth answering,” he says. That reaction could leave women thinking, “Maybe I need to redefine myself and my expectations of how I interact with space,” she adds. There may also be “behind the back” conversations where conference participants may judge certain responses more harshly.
Women’s fears in this setting could stem from previous encounters with reactions. Research has shown that women face backlash for behaviors more commonly associated with men, including standing up for themselves, negotiating aggressively, and even taking up space. A more hostile reaction to female speakers has been noted at academic conferences, and one set of researchers found negative reactions to female presenters in finance. After analyzing data on every interaction between presenters and their audience in hundreds of research economics seminars, the researchers concluded“Women are asked about 12 percent more questions per seminar, and they are asked more supportive and hostile questions, and those questions are more likely to be rated as unfair.”
Explaining why female economists in the forum are treated this way, the authors came to the conclusion, “We find it unlikely that these findings reflect an explicit design by seminar participants to treat women differently. Instead, they may speak to implicit bias, or perhaps more darkly, an undercurrent of misogyny in a male-dominated culture.” Awareness of this differential treatment faced by women would naturally add stress to the decision to participate in a conference setting.
How do we make the atmosphere at these conferences more welcoming to women? Unfortunately, Jarvis says it’s not an easy fix. According to her research, both men and women expressed a higher level of comfort in asking questions when they were informed that the audience was perceived as particularly friendly and open. Getting to a place where the public is actually more welcoming will be a more difficult challenge.
