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Terrible Person Speaks [Dan Collins]

On gender “bias” and being “underrepresented”…

What’s interesting is that Tierney still frames the question in terms of women being “underrepresented” in certain professions and areas of study. But this rather begs the question. How do we know that 1:1 gender parity is some natural, default state, from which any deviation must be construed as evidence of bias? On what basis – besides ideology – can we determine that there “ought” to be a particular ratio of male and female chemists, or mathematicians, or engineers? How can we assume that, were all cultural obstacles miraculously removed, men and women would be roughly equal in number in any given profession? Whether or not meritocratic selection has been achieved cannot be determined simply by whether or not gender parity results, since we have no solid basis on which to say that gender parity should be the meritocratic outcome.

I’m pretty sure that straight men are underrepresented in interior design. Probably overrepresented in heavy construction, though. From which I deduce that heavy construction is probably evil.

14 Replies to “Terrible Person Speaks [Dan Collins]”

  1. happyfeet says:

    oh. NPR has been pushing back on something sort of on point to this. I didn’t listen, but I’m sure they’re sincere.

  2. dre says:

    “From which I deduce that heavy construction is probably evil.”

    Power stations, oil rigs, pipelines, coal mines, nuclear plants, highways, transmission lines, refineries,steel mills …

  3. Dan Collins says:

    I heard that, too. But interestingly it seems that if girls aren’t underperforming in maths anymore, it makes one wonder why it might be that they seem less interested at the university level. Could the professoriat be more backward than high school teachers? Hmmmm.

  4. Dan Collins says:

    Women don’t need that stuff, dre. They’d prefer to manufacture everything they need at home, as in the olden days.

  5. ccoffer says:

    Well, my wife has never worked outside the home. Its the matriarchy, you see.

  6. dre says:

    “Comment by Dan Collins on 7/25 @ 7:31 pm #

    Women don’t need that stuff, dre”

    The women should be made to pound the laundry at the river. You know at little nostalgia.

  7. Dan Collins says:

    I have it on good authority that atoms are masculinist.

  8. B Moe says:

    I’m pretty sure that straight men are underrepresented in interior design.

    Tough sledding in the prostitution business, too.

  9. Dan Collins says:

    I hear Heidi Fleiss is aiming to change that, B Moe.

  10. happyfeet says:

    oh. They a lot fixed that here. Achieved parity at least.

  11. happyfeet says:

    Me I always figured it’s a lot like what they say chiropractors.

  12. Dan Collins says:

    She’s more than a wack-job felon is what I’m trying to say. Sort of.

  13. happyfeet says:

    *about*

Comments are closed.