Abstract
This response essay addresses sexism in higher education as a deeply embedded cultural pattern that shapes classroom and professional interactions. Responding to work on the “chilly climate” for women, the essay argues that denial is a major barrier to recognizing and changing sexist behavior. It discusses ways male faculty may view women students and colleagues through sexualized or dominance-based assumptions, and it emphasizes that advanced education does not necessarily prevent discriminatory behavior. The essay identifies examples of sexism in classroom interaction, advising, debate, faculty-student relationships, and professional settings, including women’s exclusion from informal academic networks, the dismissal of women’s contributions, gendered assumptions about intellectual ability, and inappropriate touching or sexual advances. It also notes differences reported by women students in coeducational and single-sex institutions. While acknowledging the value of identifying sexist classroom behaviors, the essay argues that short-term remedies are insufficient for a problem described as persistent, structural, and resistant to ordinary persuasion.
Recommended Citation
Rieke, Richard D.
(1985)
"The Classroom Climate: A Chilly One For Women? A Response,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 51, Article 20.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol51/iss1/20
