Blackboard Jungle 13 Symposium
Reimagining an Inclusive Community
March 25 - March 27, 2020

Combating the Sexism We Tolerate: How Can We Change a Sexist Culture?

Sexism is a society problem which includes College & University settings. There are ample movements attacking the devastating harm done by sex-based offenses/crimes which include response, advocacy and accountability. But why is sexism a problem? Research into gender integration for the military often identified unconscious and unintentional gender bias named as gender oblivion. Gender oblivion describes the covert ways that gender stereotypes influence everyday practices of the individual and organization. Most of the time, gender oblivion is not malicious or done to actively exclude or harm women. But the end result is that it does both. Doris brings her years of gender bias analysis and her solution-oriented strategies to engage open minded teams who are seeking effective ways to counteract the negative impacts of sexism. She provides examples of the impact of microaggressions which begin the spectrum of harm related to sex-based offenses. Doris discusses the status gap between masculine and feminine and how the sexist attitudes entrench the cultural problem of gender equality and synergy among teams. Reimagine a balanced society where we see humans as equals in the pursuit of happiness and we equally embrace the differences people bring to our social engagements.

Speaker: Doris Sumner

Host: Richard Cate