Disrupting the Culture of Silence: Confronting Gender Inequality and Making Change in Higher Education - Hardcover

"What distinguishes this book are the engaging narratives and compelling contemporary research woven throughout the volume that will resonate with many readers, but the editors and authors do not stop with this important knowledge. Through real-life narratives, case studies, resources, tools, and action steps that build off of each other in an intentional manner, readers may transform this knowledge into action where they can work to make change on their own campuses and in their professional and personal lives. As such, the editors and authors walk readers through the complexities of gender inequity in higher education including the intersectionality of gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, motherhood, eldercare, academic jobs, contra-power harassment, trauma, mobbing, action strategies, and numerous other issues. [This] is an important book that contains the various components a facilitator, administrator, or faculty member might intentionally combine to use in provost and dean training seminars, faculty workshops, courses, reading circles, and multiple venues across campuses and professional associations."--Penny A. Pasque, Associate Professor "Engagingly written and rich in formal data and telling anecdote, this sociologically smart collection will be an important tool for graduate students and faculty confronting what remains a male-biased system of higher education. The editors draw on their own interviews with women in many academic disciplines and enlist other researchers and activists to provide a rich and deep look at gendered experiences in academia today. Commendably, the editors give strong representation to women of color, disabled women, and lesbians in defining how 'women' experience (and overcome) diverse challenges. Variation among disciplines and between institutions is also highlighted. The beauty of the volume emerges most in its telling details: e.g., the problematic idea that 'just say no' to service work is a feasible organizational strategy; the value in changing policy rather than seeking ad hoc accommodations; the self-contradictory advice about when in an academic career to have a baby. Excellent bibliography and list of disciplinary and other extra-university resources for change make this book an invaluable resource for all faculty or students looking for insight into strategies for real inclusivity. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above."-- (05/01/2015) "Case studies, personal narratives and experiences, qualitative (interviews) and quantitative research raise readers' consciousness about oppressive structures and cultures that impact women in academe. Women have made gains in the academy in terms of their increased presence, but major challenges remain. In this sourcebook each essay builds on existing research and offers suggestions for changing oppressive structures and cultures. I highly recommend this book to institutions that value diversity (without which academic excellence does not exist) and desire to create a healthy, productive environment for a truly diverse and representative faculty and administration. I also recommend it for female and male faculty and administrators impacted by cultures of silence and who are interested in disrupting and dismantling those cultures."-- (02/01/2016) "Although frequently considered the ultimate bastion of liberalism, academia in the United States remains plagued with inequalities. Shining a spotlight on this dirty little secret, revealing how specific inequities operate, and offering solutions to them are the subjects of this superb volume edited by Kristine De Welde and Andi Stepnick. Although their focus is on gender inequality within the United States, attention is also given to the situation of minorities who suffer the double-whammy of being in more than one discriminated-against group, such as women of color or transgendered academics. This volume does an exceptional job of tracing the history of change within the academy and is required reading for courses and scholars in the field."-- (12/01/2016) "The intended audience is women faculty, though this includes tenured and tenure-track professors, contingent faculty and lecturers. By focusing on faculty in particular, the editors are able to reveal longstanding inequalities amongst a population presumed to be of power, making individual stories and quantitative statistics alike salient to those with experience of any kind in higher education. The book provides solidarity for women faculty, and breaks down complex social and institutional problems in a digestible introduction to gender inequality. Beyond the intended audience of women faculty, Disrupting the Culture of Silence is a useful resource for anyone looking to start a conversation on gender inequality in higher education"-- (10/01/2016) "Kris De Welde and Andi Stepnick s new co-edited book, Disrupting the Culture of Silence: Confronting Gender Inequality and Making Change in Higher Education, is an engaging, evidence-based toolkit for building gender equity in higher education. I just got my copy of the book two weeks ago, and I haven t been able to put it down. Disrupting the Culture of Silence is an essential read. More than that, it is a resource that faculty members and administrators will want to re-read, and reference, and use "to make change on their own campuses and in their professional and personal lives." Be sure to get a copy or two for your libraries and teaching centers."-- (03/01/2015)

What 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 towards gender equality and equity in institutions of higher education, deep patterns of discrimination of and hostility towards women in the academy persist. From the "chilly climate" to the "old boys' club", women faculty must navigate structures and cultures that continue to marginalize, penalize, and undermine their success. This book is intended as a "tool kit" for creating greater equality and equity in higher education. It presents the latest research on issues of concern to women academics and anyone interested in a more equitable academy. Through narratives and the use of critical feminist analysis, it highlights the hostile experiences of women academics, across disciplines and ranks, in order to disrupt complacency among those who might claim that things are "better" or "good enough"; and to provide readers with strategies to counter or dismantle barriers of culture, climate or institutional structures. The contributors compare and contrast the stories of women across races and ethnicities, and explore under-examined identities such as lesbian, feminist, married or unmarried, mother or non-mother. The book includes case studies of women who have encountered workplaces antagonistic to their identities, their approaches to teaching, or to their research agendas, and offers suggested action steps and best practices for individuals navigating such environments. Beyond women in academe, this book is addressed to administrators interested in changing their hostile cultures and policies, and to researchers/scholars investigating these phenomena.