Speak Up: Ten Years Later
The classroom monitoring completed in 2002 found that, of 23 courses observed, in only 12 of them did men speak more often than women (52.2%). However, this may be in part due to the more limited data collection in 2002. In that study, the classroom monitoring only lasted for a two-week period at the end of the semester. Thus, for the purposes of comparing between the 2002 and 2012 studies, the November/December 2012 observation period as a closer proxy for the 2002 observations. In the November/December 2011 period, men spoke more often than women did in 15 of the 23 courses observed--an increase over 2002. This course-by-course comparison counters the prevalent hypothesis among faculty that classroom participation is more balanced than it was ten years ago. However when overall disparities ratios are calculated based on the 2002 and 2012 data sets, women were only 1.5% more likely to speak in class in 2012 than they were in 2002.20 The disparity ratios are a rough measure of overall participation which masks some of the disparities that occur in particular courses, but nonetheless gives a strong sense for how class participaWomen were only 1.5% more tion across YLS disaggregates by gender.
likely to speak in class in 2012 than they were in 2002.
Faculty and students provided some possible explanations for the differences that they observe. Many professors note that men raise their hands sooner than women do. This may be because women are more likely to take additional time to reflect on their comment and refine their thinking before they speak. One professor noted: “Men talk more regardless of how much they have to say.” He also noted that men “have a higher perception of their ability” and it only takes a third of the men to be very vocal to silence the rest of the women. Another professor notes that men and women have different thresholds for raising their hands. Women tend to have a higher threshold, meaning they only raise their hands if their comments are substantive and of “higher quality.” On the other hand, men raise their hands very casually. Many students suggested that women are more cautious and likely to think through their answers in advance of sharing them, while men are more aggressive or impulsive. Students also noted that the speed at which men raise their hand can affect participation. One 2L man responded, “I think, across the YLS population, men seem more confident and worry less about the reception their comments will receive. I’m not sure if the solution is to have women worry less or men worry more, though the former seems more feasible.” There were men and women students who perceived no difference in participation by gender or responded that they simply did not notice any such phenomenon. Several students noticed dif20
The 2002 average across all courses was .877. The 2012 average across all courses was .892. This would seem to indicate that women were about 1.5% more likely to speak in class in 2012 than they were in 2002. These averages were created with all of the 2002 and 2012 observations.
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