Teena,and all

I have read all your posts since I joined the list. And I always felt you -
and many others exploring this problem - have clearly raised a point: that
of women - and non-white Anglo-Saxon males - treatment and  position in our
actual field of Design, both in Research and Practice.

Perhaps it is time to deal with this problem, less - not at all meaning
'less' important to some individuals - as a personal sentiments,
grievances, beliefs, combats, and opinions. Could we rather formulate the
problem in terms of a methodical, still and if needed, personalized
perspective, scientific research endeavor: highlighting observations of
manageable facts; describing those facts in their numerous aspects that one
can possibly work on; explaining respective origins,occurrences, and
effects,real and potential, of those facts; and finally and most
importantly for us designers, prescribe ways to modify those facts,
practically - meaning by way of artifacts, services, and processes - either
enhancing some of their effects and outcomes, or repressing those undesired.

At least that the sense I got from Mauricio's reminding call on the
ultimate purpose of this List. And it is in that sense that I
wholeheartedly concurred. Also the reason that, in so many years, I still
persevere reading each one of the items posted, scrutinizing each with hope
that I eventually will learn something new on any of those facts above
evoked...

Yours,

Francois
Kigali

On Sat, Jan 28, 2017 at 9:17 AM, Teena Clerke <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi Mauricio,
>
> thanks for your post. I don’t know about false beliefs. Gendering is one
> way of looking at the relational dynamics of power in any group or network,
> rather than a belief system. It’s not for everyone, but it does go a long
> way towards explaining why, when I post on the odd occasion that I do, that
> I get off list emails from women affirming their experiences of and
> aversion to posting to this list.
>
> In terms of design research, all you have to do is see who publishes,
> who’s on editorial boards, who’s being promoted, who gets the grants and
> how much, and who does the teaching, and it will go some way to explaining
> how gendered practices function, are reproduced (the ones who do all the
> above are the ones appointing others while women also collude in their
> reproduction) and the material effects on all women and some men (of
> colour, etc.). This means being outside some social networks, not being
> considered on the same terms as men when seeking appointments, promotion
> and grants. It is also well documented that women by far, fare much worse
> then men in student satisfaction surveys on teaching.
>
> So from my perspective, design research and education is a good example of
> gendering in action. It does not mean however, that I resent/hate/attack
> men. It simply means that I understand why it is that women have to work
> harder for the same rewards as men and why it doesn’t seem right.
>
> I cite Louise Morley who cites McIntosh to say:
>
> 'senior women are under unacceptable pressure to live up to unrealistic
> demands of perfection. She quotes a woman psychologist’s contribution to a
> faculty debate on affirmative action: "I am hearing a lot of talk about
> excellence. But then I look around me and see a lot of mediocre men. For me
> the real test of affirmative action will be whether not I can stand up here
> in 20 years and see equal numbers of  mediocre women and mediocre men"
> (quoted in McIntosh, 1985: 4)’.
>
> all the best,
> teena
>
> Morley, L. 2003, 'Women’s careers in higher education: theorising gender
> inequalities', paper presented to the Europeanisation of Higher Education
> and Gender, Brussels, 26–27 June.
>


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