We would think in this era of equal opportunity, gender equality and diversity initiatives that stereotypes would be diminishing. At the same time, it is often argued that one of the values of technology is that it is gender neutral. But, I've noticed lately that subtle gender stereotypes still seem to pervade our electronic correspondence.

For example, I was recently involved in several exchanges with students about a class. In these exchanges, I was addresses as “Ms.”and the other male professor (an ad junct who does not hold a Ph.D) was addressed as “Prof.”  Even though I signed my messages as “Prof. Brush” and my full title was in the message, for each of the correspondences, I was “Ms.” and not “Prof.” 

It might be argued that “Ms.” is indeed the correct form of address. But, if this is true, then we would expect any male parties in the messages to be referred to as “Mr.”  Alternatively, maybe it was assumed that I was not a full professor or this fact was missed in the signature line and therefore “Ms.” was believed to be the polite form of address. But, a title and Ph.D. is earned.  By not acknowledging the title, either on purpose or accidentally, the work in achieving it is diminished.

Is this just bad manners or is it gender stereotyping at work? Historically fewer women earned Ph.D.s and taught in business schools, but more recently this has changed dramatically. Research about women in careers shows that within the next 10 years, women will claim 50% of Ph.D. and professional degrees in law and medicine. Here at Babson College we have a fairly high percentage of female faculty, and of course, the Center for Women's Leadership actively promotes our connections and communication.  This means that more and more assumptions about and proper etiquette about women's qualifications will be equally as important as for men.