Chapter 12: My Gender Research Journey: A Goodness of Fit

Although more than 40 years have passed, these words, phrased as a question but very much meant to be a statement, still sting. They mark the start of my gender research journey.

It was the first year after receiving my degree. I had landed a job at a revered academic institution and I was a bit starstruck with the eminence and renown of my new colleagues and uncertain about how I was going to fare among such luminaries. There I was at a get-to-know-you cocktail party, chatting with a group of doctoral students, trying my best to appear confident and relaxed, when an older gentleman whose textbook I had used as a student entered the room to join the festivities. In he strode and, looking directly at me, loudly bellowed those words questioning the appropriateness of my presence in such a rarefied setting. I wish I could report that I had a nasty comeback, a clever retort, or even a mild rebuke. But I did not. Instead I stood mute as he sailed on by—I was humiliated and embarrassed, but silent nonetheless.