Or is it one bite at a time? And is it pebbles that change the course of a river? Every grain of sand is a drop in the ocean...? Whatever the phrase(s) is/are, the point I would like to make is that big changes are most often made as a series of small changes. Tackling any issue as big. complex and embedded as a global inequality (e.g. of gender) won't happen without culture change, without tiny, subtle alterations of perception that eventually take place without us even noticing.
I was on a requsitioning software course this morning (living the high life!) and one of the exercises involved booking a taxi for a university professor. This example professor was called 'Clive', a traditionally male name, and clearly no-one doing the course was surprised by this - a lot of university professors are male. But, I thought to myself, what if we had all been asked to book a taxi for a Prof. Claire? I hope that still no-one would have been surprised. But I wouldn't be surprised if at some level people were, simply because even in hyppthetical situations, you're more likely to encounter a Prof. Clive than a Prof. Claire. (Of course, I would never suggest that you can assume absolutely someone's gender from their name but there's a high chance a Clive will be male and a Claire will be female.)
The course was very good and the hypothetical gender of a hypthetical professor had no real bearing on our ability to be taught how to buy lab equipment etc., or to talk to our fellow trainees and make the pleasant, commitment-free sort of friendships that exist only for the short duration of time you're put in a room with people you'll probably never see again. But this thought niggled at me:
What would be the effect if, every time someone created an imaginary professor, they actively chose it to be female?
Or, perhaps not every time, but more frequently than currently happens? Or even, just that once on that specific course at that specific institution?
Visibility is everything. If we're constantly exposed to female professors then they'll no longer surprise us. Then more women and girls will see that it's something that any of them can be, rather than just a few. And then more women and girls will be likely to become professors (or plumbers, or action writers, or film trailer voice-over artists or any other profession which is generally represented by men only). And then all these industries will benefit from this influx of new and unrestrained talent. And society as a whole will benefit. The same of course goes for increasing visibility of men in more traditionally female roles. Gender issues are not 'women's issues'.
So whether it's a drop in the ocean, a grain of sand, a mouthful of elephant or a pebble, these tiny changes cannot be underestimated. Flag them up, point them out - don't be afraid of being thought of as 'silly' or 'overreacting' - no-one's getting angry about Prof. Clive not being Prof. Claire but that doesn't mean we can't have a conversation about it.
Good luck! And for some inspiration, here are some extracts from my feedback form from this morning's course.
Discalimer: The writer only recommends the consumption of metaphorical elephants. Acutal elephants are really cool, especially when they're not being eaten...
The Session - 6. Please comment on the session in more detail if necessary
Please could future sessions feature in the example cases a professor with a female name? Am happy to discuss in further detail why seemingly little things like this are so important. Visibility is everything!
The Trainer - 8. Please comment on the trainer in more detail if necessary
Very well delivered! Friendly, approachable and knowledgeable. Thanks very much!
P.S. In the other comments I'm not arguing the case of the 'hypothetical female professor' because I have any complaint or problem with the way the course is run - hopefully the rest of my feedback will show this - I'm clearly not unhappy with the course in any way! But if we do even tiny things like that to change gender perceptions then we'll find the path to equality much easier!
The Environment and Materials - 10. Please comment on the facilities and materials if necessary
As mentioned in part 6., please could future sessions feature in the example cases a professor with a female name? In order to make big changes we need to change these tiny perceptions like not being surpised that the professor we're hypothetically booking a taxi for is female.
Further Comments - 12. Please add any further comments or suggestions that could help us to improve the service we offer
Just to reiterate, please could future sessions feature in the example cases a professor with a female name? You may not think that tackling gender inequality is within the remit of designing an IT course but given that it effects every single one of us every day it is all of our jobs to constantly seek to change things.
