Writing is gendered, which takes strength away from women’s writing, says Natalie Coulter and other York professors
Being a female student can result in lower grades.
York professors are noticing differences in the way gender manifests itself in academic writing and classroom settings, resulting in a passive tone that prevents women from sounding authoritative and confident in their arguments and ideas.
“I have always noticed that there is tendency in female students, not all, but some, to use language in ways that take away from their power and intellect,” says Natalie Coulter, a communication studies professor at York.
Coulter says she has observed some female students express their opinions with doubt and in a soft tone.
A theory originally developed by University of California, Berkeley linguist Robin Lakoff, author of the study “Sexism in the Classroom,” says soft writing is characterized by phrases such as “I think,” or “I believe,” while a soft-spoken style is characterized by shorter, quieter statements with a frequent use of qualifiers such as “sort of,” “maybe,” “I guess,” and “perhaps.”
According to Coulter, among the commonly used phrases are also the popular, “I’m not sure if I’m right, but…” and “This might be a stupid question, but…” Both phrases result in less credit being given to the speaker or writer.
The trend isn’t confined to one stream of academia, either. Christine Oliver, a professor of organizational behaviour at the Schulich School of Business, says although the trend is not universal, she has noticed more female students who soften their statements, even in business settings.
Coulter attributes the female tendency to temper opinions to a history of female oppression in academia.
“I think it’s entirely the remnants of conditioning,” she says. “Historically, women were marginalized so I don’t think it’s part of their nature, but part of the circumstances that caused them to be more circumspect with their opinions.”
Coulter says historically, some women were made to think their ideas hold less value than those of men.
“I think we [women] are taught that we have to be absolutely certain something is correct before we have the authority to make a claim, whereas boys are taught that they have much more leniency in being wrong,” she says.
Several studies, like the one mentioned above, have shown that gender embedded stereotypes can also cause females to share opinions differently. For example, a female student that expresses her opinions freely may be viewed as a “know-it-all,” while a male student may be perceived as bright or interested. Furthermore, if women speak in an assertive style, they may come off as abrasive.
According to Oliver, the gravity of this depends on the situation and audience.
“For an academic audience, it wouldn’t undermine the person’s credibility and persuasiveness, because academics are trained to think in terms of relative positions,” she says.
“In a business setting, I can see how it can be detrimental because it would sound as if the person is less certain of what they are talking about.”
Coulter explains further, saying, “an argument doesn’t become less sound, but it’s hard to be taken as an authority when [women] make such claims. While I have never studied this phenomenon as a scholar, I do see it often when I teach.”
Coulter says although such nuances may seem invisible in the classroom setting, conscious effort should be made to combat them. In her classes, Coulter says she talks to students about how to present arguments and make statements. She sometimes even asks female students to rephrase their arguments when they use phrases such as “this may be dumb, but…” Oliver says the best way for professors to help female students become more confident in their opinions is to create a non-judgmental environment, one where the comments of female students are given the same response as those of male students.
Although some argue that the use of softer language should be combated, for others it’s a conscious choice. Nicole Aylwin, a course director at York, says she uses qualifiers not because of a lack of confidence, but because of the need to remain polite.
Similarly, Mandy Yang, a third-year business student, says using softer language is a good quality to possess because “it shows that we can make an argument without imposing it on others.”
The issue: Some female students have been identified as speaking and writing in a passive tone in academic settings. Have you noticed this in your own writing, or that of your peers?
Rameeza Ahmed, Staff Writer
