The "Benevolent Sexism" at Christian Colleges
“… authors of ‘Women Faculty at an Evangelical University: The Paradox of Religiously Driven Gender Inequalities and High Job Satisfaction’ attribute this paradox to ‘benevolent sexism’ and the high value evangelicals place on personal relationships.”
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The social networks based on gender are not surprising and will probably continue to exist. At the college I attended, it was frowned upon for male and female faculty to have one-on-one lunches together or be in the same location alone (classroom, car, restaurant, elevator, etc.).
Is it just me or did the authors refer to “the university” several times, as if they only interviewed female faculty members of one institution? If so, I would politely suggest that there is no warrant for such broad assertions about the opportunities and perspectives of female faculty members at evangelical universities.
I think this is possible because in Evangelical circles, women are culturally looking to stay at home much more than their secular counterparts and thus accept the benevolent sexism without challenging it because it mirrors their own lifestyle. Eventually though, those babies grow up, and they might wish they had worked to gain some more importance in evangelical workplaces.
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