After watching a video conference regarding the Dogme method by Chia Suan Chong, I got to thinking about women in English language teaching, or the lack thereof. I immediately assumed that women are vastly under-represented, but then I remembered that in my teacher-training course, there were only 2 men of a total of 12 trainees, so it then seemed to me that there are actually more women in teaching positions.
My questions were these:
1. How many women hold senior positions in ELT internationally?
2. How many women are referred to as expert sources of knowledge in the ELT world and what percentage of women give plenary talks?
3. Which ELT books are most-widely sold and/or cited most often, and how many of those publications are authored by women?
4. How many female authors are included in a list of most-cited ELT publications (teaching theory, not materials)?
5. How do salaries compare between men and women in ELT?
Jeremy Harmer commented on this, noting that the vast majority of conference audiences are female, while the majority of speakers are male. He said,
Harmer brings into the question the factors that contribute to the under-representation of women, suggesting that there is perhaps a sexual undertone - Do the hordes of women at conferences have an "easier" time giving attention to male speakers than to female speakers? He also ponders whether conference organizers extend an equal number of plenary invitations to both genders, or if women tend to reject these invitations due to familial obligations or reluctance to travel.
THE FACTS
In a brief web search, I looked at the presence of women in three popular English teaching journals (ELT Journal, TESOL Quarterly, and Modern English Teacher), and three conferences (IATEFL, ACEIA, and the 60th Annual IH Anniversary Conference). Overall, men are significantly over-represented.
In ELT Journal, of the 50 most-cited articles of the last 2 years, there were 19 female authors out of 61 total, which brings the percentage of male authors to an embarrassing 69%. In TESOL Quarterly, the latest issue published 23 total authors, of which 11 were women, bringing the male percentage to 52%. In Modern English Teacher, the current issue contains 11 female authors of 33, indicating a 67% male representation. "Modern", indeed.
Starting with the annual IATEFL conference, which boasts a 2,500 person attendance from over 100 countries, the last three years (including the upcoming 2014 conference) average a jaw-dropping 72% representation of male plenary speakers.
2014 - 4 plenary speakers, 3 male
2013 - 5 plenary speakers, 2 male
2012 - 5 plenary speakers, 4 male
This weekend's 60th Annual IH Anniversary Online Conference presented 13 speakers, 8 of which were men, bringing the percentage of male speakers to a scoff-worthy 62%. Finally, at last month's ACEIA conference in Seville, a suspicious 50% were male (if done intentionally, well done ACEIA, well done).
This begs the question:
Why are men so overly-represented?
1. Like Harmer points out, perhaps men have an inherent advantage by "preaching" to a female choir. And maybe women are less-likely to see a woman in a typically male 'power' position without suspending judgement, subconsciously or not.
2. Because western society encourages men to be goal-oriented, attention-seeking go-getters, why would they not do so in the ELT field as well?
3. Women are less likely to travel, 100 % more likely to bear children, and more likely to be 'attached' to domestic tasks, which would explain why they might turn down plenary invitations. (Though I wonder if they would be more likely to travel if conferences offered financial aid not only to the speaker, but to their children/partner as well...)
4. Men have more testosterone, which makes them more likely to act aggressively, competitively, and more likely to seek opportunity for adrenaline surges (public speaking). Women on the other hand, are less likely to exhibit these traits, due to a mixture of biological and societal factors.
In a thorough and insightful post, Meredith Butler, editor and owner of the ELT publication El Gazette, addresses the glass ceiling and salary differences head-on. She first puts things into perspective by saying,
Hear, hear. She then looks at female representation in the university, state sector, and private sectors, noting a generally positive change in the last few decades. Butler cites men as occupying more exam-related, IT, and sales positions in ELT, which are not surprisingly, the highest-paid positions. A possible reason,
This reminds me of a recent interview I had at a local language academy, at the end of which I asked, "I was wondering about the starting salary?". Immediately I heard the whisperings of past advisors, warning me about how NOT to ruin an interview, i.e. DON'T ask about pay. Simultaneously, I heard the advice of a Spanish co-worker ("Of course you should ask about the salary! Entering into a contract with a company without being aware of the conditions is just stupid"). I didn't have to think much longer because the response I got was a tongue-in-cheek, "Well, we don't go into this business to get rich, do we now?". Needless to say, I didn't get a call back. This example probably has little to do with my gender, but it does bring into light something that Meredith Butler does quite well, which is address something that few people have the balls to - earning-power and salary.
Anyhow, gender inequality in ELT: Butler concludes that the underlying pulse of gender inequality in ELT has to do with both women and men having children and therefore being encumbered with the prospect of global mobility.
I'm not quite sure where I stand on the issue, except to say that I think it's all very complicated and that I feel that the "interrupting battles" I have with my partner and other people in Spain are somehow related. Also, this article. Now I'm going to watch an online conference about teaching methods before I lose the rest of my Sunday.
My questions were these:
1. How many women hold senior positions in ELT internationally?
2. How many women are referred to as expert sources of knowledge in the ELT world and what percentage of women give plenary talks?
3. Which ELT books are most-widely sold and/or cited most often, and how many of those publications are authored by women?
4. How many female authors are included in a list of most-cited ELT publications (teaching theory, not materials)?
5. How do salaries compare between men and women in ELT?
Jeremy Harmer commented on this, noting that the vast majority of conference audiences are female, while the majority of speakers are male. He said,
"Isn’t it strange, I sometimes think, that we accept as completely normal the sight of a male ‘expert’ standing in front of a group of say 1,000 teachers, only a small handful of whom (sometime less than 1%) are also male. Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable, sometimes, to realize that the ‘high profile’ talks (e.g. conference plenaries etc) are so often given by men, not women? Or perhaps it doesn’t matter that a largely female profession is so often ‘preached at’ by men who enjoy some kind of specially privileged position, men (yes, I know, I’m one of them!) who almost come to expect this state of affairs. Surely there are women who could do the job just as well?"
Harmer brings into the question the factors that contribute to the under-representation of women, suggesting that there is perhaps a sexual undertone - Do the hordes of women at conferences have an "easier" time giving attention to male speakers than to female speakers? He also ponders whether conference organizers extend an equal number of plenary invitations to both genders, or if women tend to reject these invitations due to familial obligations or reluctance to travel.
THE FACTS
In a brief web search, I looked at the presence of women in three popular English teaching journals (ELT Journal, TESOL Quarterly, and Modern English Teacher), and three conferences (IATEFL, ACEIA, and the 60th Annual IH Anniversary Conference). Overall, men are significantly over-represented.
In ELT Journal, of the 50 most-cited articles of the last 2 years, there were 19 female authors out of 61 total, which brings the percentage of male authors to an embarrassing 69%. In TESOL Quarterly, the latest issue published 23 total authors, of which 11 were women, bringing the male percentage to 52%. In Modern English Teacher, the current issue contains 11 female authors of 33, indicating a 67% male representation. "Modern", indeed.
Starting with the annual IATEFL conference, which boasts a 2,500 person attendance from over 100 countries, the last three years (including the upcoming 2014 conference) average a jaw-dropping 72% representation of male plenary speakers.
2014 - 4 plenary speakers, 3 male
2013 - 5 plenary speakers, 2 male
2012 - 5 plenary speakers, 4 male
This weekend's 60th Annual IH Anniversary Online Conference presented 13 speakers, 8 of which were men, bringing the percentage of male speakers to a scoff-worthy 62%. Finally, at last month's ACEIA conference in Seville, a suspicious 50% were male (if done intentionally, well done ACEIA, well done).
This begs the question:
Why are men so overly-represented?
1. Like Harmer points out, perhaps men have an inherent advantage by "preaching" to a female choir. And maybe women are less-likely to see a woman in a typically male 'power' position without suspending judgement, subconsciously or not.
2. Because western society encourages men to be goal-oriented, attention-seeking go-getters, why would they not do so in the ELT field as well?
3. Women are less likely to travel, 100 % more likely to bear children, and more likely to be 'attached' to domestic tasks, which would explain why they might turn down plenary invitations. (Though I wonder if they would be more likely to travel if conferences offered financial aid not only to the speaker, but to their children/partner as well...)
4. Men have more testosterone, which makes them more likely to act aggressively, competitively, and more likely to seek opportunity for adrenaline surges (public speaking). Women on the other hand, are less likely to exhibit these traits, due to a mixture of biological and societal factors.
In a thorough and insightful post, Meredith Butler, editor and owner of the ELT publication El Gazette, addresses the glass ceiling and salary differences head-on. She first puts things into perspective by saying,
"A glass ceiling for white women there may be, but if you are black and you are British there is a solid steel front door."
Hear, hear. She then looks at female representation in the university, state sector, and private sectors, noting a generally positive change in the last few decades. Butler cites men as occupying more exam-related, IT, and sales positions in ELT, which are not surprisingly, the highest-paid positions. A possible reason,
"Maybe men are more attracted to researching face validity in criterion-based reading tests. Or maybe they are just better at smelling out where the money is: the starting rate for a Masters qualified tester worldwide is about £40,000 (us$60,000) per year."
This reminds me of a recent interview I had at a local language academy, at the end of which I asked, "I was wondering about the starting salary?". Immediately I heard the whisperings of past advisors, warning me about how NOT to ruin an interview, i.e. DON'T ask about pay. Simultaneously, I heard the advice of a Spanish co-worker ("Of course you should ask about the salary! Entering into a contract with a company without being aware of the conditions is just stupid"). I didn't have to think much longer because the response I got was a tongue-in-cheek, "Well, we don't go into this business to get rich, do we now?". Needless to say, I didn't get a call back. This example probably has little to do with my gender, but it does bring into light something that Meredith Butler does quite well, which is address something that few people have the balls to - earning-power and salary.
Anyhow, gender inequality in ELT: Butler concludes that the underlying pulse of gender inequality in ELT has to do with both women and men having children and therefore being encumbered with the prospect of global mobility.
I'm not quite sure where I stand on the issue, except to say that I think it's all very complicated and that I feel that the "interrupting battles" I have with my partner and other people in Spain are somehow related. Also, this article. Now I'm going to watch an online conference about teaching methods before I lose the rest of my Sunday.
