Sun, 16 Oct 1994 19:09:55 -0700 for <socgrad@UCSD.EDU>
Date: Sun, 16 Oct 1994 21:09:49 -0500 (CDT)
From: Melanie <mlowery@comp.uark.edu>
Subject: non-participation
To: Michael Gibbons <mgibbons@cwis.unomaha.edu>


Michael,

I just resubscribed to socgrad, so I missed the message before this, 
but I wanted to add something about non-participation and see if others 
have had these same experiences. At our university, when the women in 
class engage themselves in heated discussion, a professor is very likely 
to make some comment about how the women are too competitive or have a 
chip on our shoulder. If a man does the same, however, he is invited in 
to the office for a coffee and conversation. If this does not invite 
non-participation, I don't know what does. 

I suspect that most woman have heard this repeated time and time again, 
if not so explicitly, then implicitly. Once you are used to keeping 
quiet, it sometimes becomes hard to break that habit, even if you feel 
you have something to say. 

What I am wondering is if the computer-based forms of interaction allow 
women to slowly test the waters again in a non-threatening manner and 
gradually use this newly-found ability in the "real" world? Any comments? 
Studies you have read? Personal experiences?

Melanie
U of A


> 
> As far as nonparticipation goes, I find that participation almost always
> invites a richer academic experience.  I also find that the
> nonparticipants are primarily women in class, and suspect therefore,
> that under the guise of shyness, there are probably more women
> nonparticipating on socgrad as well.  The question of nonparticipants is
> therefore inescapably gender-bound.  Prove to me that it's not.  Also,
> recognizing this gender disparity, I hereby invite women to speak up.
> 
> I can't help but address the whole subject of nonparticipation with
> cynicism, because of this pervasive disparity between genders (and also
> any others not encouraged in our society to speak up).  Therefore, I am
> inclined to wonder about your point regarding nonparticipation, Wanda. 
> Correct me if I have misrepresented you.
> 
> Thanks
> mike
> 
> 
>