Math professor Hochster speaks to incoming graduate women in science

During a WISE-sponsored welcome dinner for first year graduate women in science, Math Professor Mel Hochster described research on gender discrimination in hiring practices. "If you feel guilty because you think you may have benefitted from affirmative action at some time-," Hochster told the audience. "Don't."

In his presentation on faculty recruitment, Hochster gave many examples of how both men and women, consciously or unconsciously, discriminate in favor of men in hiring.

In one research example, hiring committees were given the identical application packages, sometimes with a female name and sometimes with a male name. University psychology professors preferred 2:1 to hire "Brian" over "Karen."   Another example showed gender bias in orchestra auditions. When auditioners were behind a screen, the percentage of female new hires increased 25-46%.

"It is important to have Dr. Hochster speak at this event," explained WISE Director Cinda-Sue Davis to the female students, "so that you are both armed with this information, but also so that you know that there are men and women in powerful positions at the University who are working to eliminate these gender biases here at UM."

Hochster is one of ten senior faculty members of UM's Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Excellence (STRIDE) committee funded by the UM NSF ADVANCE grant. This group presents its Faculty Recruitment Workshop Presentation to UM faculty as well as to faculty at other universities across the country.

December 2005 eNews