Ok. I’d like to be a consistent blogger but as is apparent fairly early on… this doesn’t come naturally to me. So I may need some encouragement from my many “fans” ever now and then.
Ok… here’s what I was thinking about today…
It was my first day back to school for the second semester of my M.A. And I have this class called Textual Traditions in the Old Testament… boring to most people… exciting to me. However… here’s the situation: There are a total of 8 people in this class… it’s an MA/PhD seminar class. There are 2 other MA students. 5 PhD students. Of the 8 students, 7 are male. The prof is a guy too. And then there’s me… and for the record, I’m very much a girl. When I’m thinking rationally I know that this doesn’t matter. There’s no difference… we’re all students passionate about the OT… so who cares if I’m the only girl? (There’s supposed to be another girl and when she didn’t show up today I made some kind of joke to which Dr. Boda responded something like, “Sara, you’ve never had trouble holding your own before.”) The fact that I’m a girl makes no difference to the prof and most likely no difference to any of the other students in the class… but being the only girl makes me feel this pressure… a pressure not to let women in Biblical Studies down. In my mind it’s like the fate of women in Biblical Studies rests upon my ability to produce awesome results in this class. In my mind… it’s like if I say something stupid then it makes women everywhere look stupid. So this is obviously an exaggeration of a little insecurity that I feel but do you think that I actually have reason to feel this way? It’s weird that in this day and age I feel pressured to prove the competency and intelligence of women… what’s with that?
So… am I ridiculous? Or does this actually make sense a little?
I’d like to hear a reaction to this from both guys and girls… what do you think?
January 9, 2008 at 3:11 pm |
Sara, you’re not ridiculous! I’m pretty sure that women in any fields populated mostly by males feel extra pressure to “make good.” I’m not saying that women SHOULD feel that pressure but I think it’s common and natural. When I’m dealing with sports things I sometimes feel that I may not be considered adequate since I’m a female and sports are dominated by males. However, although you’re in the minority in your field, be encouraged in knowing that other women have succeeded before you and that I and many others believe in you!!!
Sharolyn
January 9, 2008 at 3:38 pm |
Hey Sara…I think it is a cool opportunity to feel the realistic pressures that women still feel when they are in male-dominated fields. I think that your feelings are legitimate and that, especially in the area of religious studies, we still have a very long way to go.
BUT – I don’t say that to put pressure on you. I am sure that as you do your readings and research you will come up with great answers to tough questions, wonderful insights and you will, where necessary, earn their respect!
Of all your Old Testament required texts…how many are by women authors?
Jay
January 9, 2008 at 5:24 pm |
Hmmm… Jay that’s an interesting question… I think right now of all of the required texts ONE is co-written by a woman… the rest are by men. BUT in my studies so far I have come across a few fairly significant female OT scholars. I know they’re out there but are just totally outnumbered.
April 2, 2008 at 9:23 pm |
Haha! I love you Sara! So good to know I am not the only one out there aware of this in every class!
As for other women, Phyllis Trible is quite well known, but I don’t like her work at all – I get so offended at “anti-male” slurs… which seem to be present in her perspective sometimes. Also, I think she makes some oversights. ANYWAY, there is also Adele Berlin – she wrote an excellent book on narrative criticism.
Anyway, you are not alone!
M