A Culture Of Silence

CHOICE 2015 Outstanding Academic TitleWhat do women academics classify as challenging, inequitable, or “hostile” work environments and experiences? How do these vary by women’s race/ethnicity, rank, sexual orientation, or other social locations?How do academic cultures and organizational structures work independently and in tandem to foster or challenge such work climates?What actions can institutions and individuals–independently and collectively–take toward equity in the academy?Despite tremendous progress toward gender equality and equity in institutions of higher education, deep patterns of discrimination against women in the academy persist. From the “chilly climate” to the “old boys’ club,” women academics must navigate structures and cultures that continue to marginalize, penalize, and undermine their success.This book is a “tool kit” for advancing greater gender equality and equity in higher education. It presents the latest research on issues of concern to them, and to anyone interested in a more equitable academy. It documents the challenging, sometimes hostile experiences of women academics through feminist analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, including narratives from women of different races and ethnicities across disciplines, ranks, and university types. The contributors’ research draws upon the experiences of women academics including those with under-examined identities such as lesbian, feminist, married or unmarried, and contingent faculty. And, it offers new perspectives on persistent issues such as family policies, pay and promotion inequalities, and disproportionate service burdens. The editors provide case studies of women who have encountered antagonistic workplaces, and offer action steps, best practices, and more than 100 online resources for individuals navigating similar situations. Beyond women in academe, this book is for their allies and for administrators interested in changing the climates, cultures, and policies that allow gender inequality to exist on their campuses, and to researchers/scholars investigating these phenomena. It aims to disrupt complacency amongst those who claim that things are “better” or “good enough” and to provide readers with strategies and resources to counter barriers created by culture, climate, or institutional structures.

The Shield of Silence looks at the culture of the workplace and its impact on women and other groups who bear the impact of sexual harassment, bullying, lewd and inappropriate remarks, and other behaviors that can negatively impact the experiences of people each day.

A deeply thoughtful, honest and illuminating memoir about a phenomenon too often neglected in the contemporary world.

An account of the fierce repression and economic misery in wartime Spain 1936-45.

We know we should speak up and question what is being taken as normal in our work cultures — to notice and call out bad behaviour and resist being silenced. This book is a guide to what it takes to do this in a way that doesn’t expose you to the countermeasures of people who do not like being questioned. What is explored through case studies and personal experience are ideas about how to resist being silenced at work where there are competing demands on your time and energy and where people have learnt to tolerate bad and uncivil behaviours just to get the work done. There are no magic solutions or calls for decisive action. Just some modest ideas about what can help you hold onto your voice and your thinking so that when the time is right, you can say something that just may help keep us all a bit safer.

In order to add to the growing literature on the emotional lives and silences of adolescents, Bosacki (education, Brock U., Ontario) explores the crucial role silence plays in the adolescent school experience. She provides educators with ideas to integrate the concept of silence into their classrooms, and to address issues of self-growth, especiall.

This is a unique must-read book. It has a revelation of hidden treasures with bifocal elements of universal need in this generation.