If the ms. is well-written, shouldn’t matter whether it was penned by Paul or Paula, right?
But, of course, it does.
We all know women do not get equal pay for equal work. We know unconscious gender bias is a real thing. We know that no matter their experience and qualifications, women over the age of 50 are 25% less likely than younger women to get a job interview. We know that blind auditions produce more diverse choirs, opera companies, and orchestras. We know the sexism endemic to our society has deleterious effects on children of both genders.
Yet, methods and policies do not change. Yet, the problems persist.
Last year, writer Catherine Nichols conducted a personal experiment on unconscious gender bias in the publishing world. She wrote about the upshot on Jezebel.com. Check it out HERE. Well worth the read.
That, as we recently discussed, is why I sign my poems only with my initials!
Smart move. Kinda wish I’d done that back in the day.