You read this kind of story in 1969, 1979, 1989, and 1999. And now the Duke Chronicle writes it again in 2011 — the wonderful and great things that come when — tada! — a woman is hired into a leadership position. This time, gender is a key feature of the story about Duke’s new dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences, Laurie Patton, who comes to Duke from Emory University.
I don’t know Professor Patton and I presume she’s a fine person and scholar, but when will journalists and academics stop using this 40-year-old template about women and the supposed benefits women bring to a job that men don’t? I’ve worked for men and women and I’ve found gender has little to do with management skill, critical thinking, and technical expertise. What’s more, to continue implying that women lack opportunity is just plain silly.
