Thread by @dgurdasani1

tw: misogyny, discrimination, harassment in academia

A thread about my observations from academic and other contexts. I've felt compelled to write this after realising how the deliberate framing of these issues prevents any change in the status quo, and perpetuates injustice.

As women, many of us face misogyny in our workplaces, and in society on a daily basis. Here, misogyny is defined not as hatred of women, but rather structural patriarchal norms that have certain expectations from women & penalise those who break these, or speak out against these.

Of course, discrimination is intersectional, with ethnic minority women likely to fare worse in these systems. Much like with racism, experiences of women are often shaped by daily micro-aggressions - including a dismissal of their expertise, their discomfort, and their feelings.

Imagine being questioned about your ability and qualifications every day. Imagine being talked over by people less qualified than you constantly. Imagine the constant expectation that you should be modest, while men around you are praised for talking about their achievements.

Now, coming to my primary point. Remember, that women’s & ethnic minority academics’ experiences are often quite different from those with relative privilege. The problem is that when they call these out as misogyny/racism, they are often dismissed for lack of evidence of intent

Micro-aggressions are often dismissed as 'misunderstandings' or 'miscommunication' as the person who engaged in this denies any intent.

The idea is that if you can't prove someone wouldn't have behaved the same way with a white man, how can you possibly claim discrimination.

The idea of intent really centres the perpetrator, rather than the victim. As someone who faces this almost on a daily basis, I cannot possibly prove that each individual action would be different were I a white man. Yet, I know that the breadth of my experience is very different

Why is my discomfort, or my experience not centred or important in this narrative? Whether there is intent or not, if someone made a statement that was inappropriate, & furthers the structural misogyny that is widely prevalent in academia, why is that not enough?

In addition to dealing with constantly being undermined, we are further traumatised by our very real experiences being constantly questioned and dismissed. We're asked to then sympathise with the men who subject us to this, as they are 'hurt' by their actions being 'misunderstood

I see this even when women report sexual harassment in the academic setting. Investigations are wholly centred on men & the idea of 'intent'. 'He was just being friendly', 'he didn't mean it'. Does it matter?
He did something inappropriate. He made someone feel very uncomfortable

Can we please believe women, & ethnic minorities when they talk about their experiences? Yes, their experiences may be different to yours. Just because your daily experience doesn't align with this, doesn't mean that misogyny and racism don't exist in your environment.

And please don't say 'but how do you know he wouldn't have said this to a man?'. We shouldn't need to prove an impossible counter-factual scenario for our pain to be recognised and validated. If you want to know why women don't speak up about this, this is why.

We know that calling out misogyny begets misogyny. And we're so exhausted with dealing with it day to day, that the idea of then having to justify our very real pain to those who are blind to it is unbearable. And inevitably leads us to being considered 'troublemakers'.

How can you help? Please believe women. Validate their experiences, and be an ally. Consider that your experiences may not reflect those of others.