I regret not giving my DCs unisex names

[darleneoconnor]

do other feminists?

After reading some stuff on how exam markers/recruiters discriminate based on perceived gender I feel like I've let my DC down.

DD does have a kind of strong sounding name but it's no Morgan.

No-one is saying that men and women aren't different, just talking about where those differences come from.

I really don't think the OP is saying she regrets her daughter is a girl! In fact given the tone of her posting I don't think she desperately regrets naming her whatever name it is (correct me if I'm wrong OP!)

The way I read it was 'in the light of reading this profoundly depressing evidence that female candidates are routinely marked down / not called for interview etc., I do sometimes wish I had given her a unisex name to help counteract this' and yes, as I am reading that same book at te moment I can totally understand that thought process. I really don't think the OP is IN ANY WAY abdicating responsibility or encouraging her daughter to abdicate responsibility for her future academic or professional endeavors and I am at a loss as to how you are seeing that in her post.

My mother has an unusual unisex name and interviewers were often surprised when a 'dolly bird' turned up - she was also often the only female candidate there.

Ok so things have improed somewhat since the 60s but Cordelia Fine et al have shown that there is still a huge amount of discrimination against women in a professional context.

exoticfruit and others, I really do recommend the book. It talks a lot about the ways in which men and women are different (and the ways in which they are the same) in a very accessible and interesting way.

Plus the cover definitely doesn't have a picture of a hairy-legged man-hating feminist on it or anything that will stop boys fancying you on the tube I PROMISE

I don't think having a girls name is a detriment with examination markings the fact that girls on average do better in schools and universities than boys kind of dispute that statement.

I do think that it may have an effect with some areas of employment/recruitment, most likely areas which are heavily male dominated.

Whatever next?

Although not linked directly to unisex names or feminism, I thought I'd mention the following example:

About 50 years ago, a New York couple had two baby sons. They legally named one of the boys "Loser" and the other boy "Winner".

Ironically, "Loser" has led a successful life and has been a pillar of the community. His name appears to have had little effect on his life chances because so many people he encountered thought the name was so ridiculous that they did not call him Loser. He goes by the name of Lou.

On the other hand, "Winner" has ended up a career criminal, spending much of his life behind bars.

I am an examiner. I can see the candidate's names on the exam scripts. I couldn't give a flying fuck whether the candidate whose exam script I mark is male or female and nor could any of the other examiners I work with.

We mark down candidates who do badly in relation to the assessment objectives of the paper and reward those who do well. I know this doesn't suit the conspiracy theorists out there so sorry about that.

On second thoughts, "Winner" and "Loser" are unisex names after all, but I wouldn't recommend using either.

Cowardly - I don't think any of the examiners who have been parts of the experiments that show women are systematically marked down would say they had done so deliberately. They would all claim, as you do, that they objectively mark the papers.

And where is the proof that they don't objectively mark the papers? I really would like to see the research that has been done into this and the evidence amassed to prove scientifically that not just the first examiner but the team leader who moderates that examiner's marking and the principal examiner who moderates the team leader's marking as well as handling all the queries post-results, which includes dealing with all the requested re-marks - that all these people are able to subconsciously exercise the same degree of bias just on the basis of whether the candidate is male or female. Some scripts will be seen by four separate people before a mark is finally confirmed - those which are used for moderation meetings will be read by twenty or thirty or more.

Utter rubbish.

And they are nameless in my college, which is quite standard.

You also have to think more on what you are saying are unisex names, when most of the examples you are giving are not so much unisex as "boys names that are used for girls in short forms". Not the same thing at all.

TCL, why don't you just google it if you want to know about the research methods in detail? There is loads of research on it (I have just had a quick look) and it is hardly beyond the scope of any reasonably intelligent person to put together a research design that would deal with the problems you mention.

While I was googling it, I saw a bit of research that said that there is no gender difference between boys and girls in maths performance in China, but there is a big difference in the United States, which I thought was interesting (if somewhat off topic).

We had unisex names chosen for both DCs before we knew their sex ( the Sam, Jess, kind). I don't use my married name but I'm happy that we gave them DH's surname.
What I do regret though is that I didn't give them my surname as a middle name. I dismissed the idea of hyphernated surnames as just ugh, just never though of it as a forname until a friend did it.

Surely if this does happen the solution isn't to give your dcs unisex names. As for feeling that you have let your dcs down.... now i've heard it all!

I work in the NHS and all applications have a number only, the shortlisting process is quite rigid, so anyone who meets the criteria gets an interview.

At the interview stage, obviously (if you hadn't guessed already from the application form) the secret is out.

MillyR - do explain the research method that you would employ to deal with the problems I mention then. I am genuinely interested.

Slightly off topic here but I have experienced agism in job applications. Some employers are careful to avoid asking for your date of birth but you can't escape giving the date you left school. Something of a giveaway which means you can be weeded out before the interview.

OK, I have googled as instructed, using a range of search terms, and so far have managed to find articles which support the argument that girls out-perform boys in exams... Am still hunting for all this evidence of discrimination against girls...

Finally - have found a paper entitled 'The evidence homework grading is gender biased.' Gender-biased in favour of girls and against boys, mind you....

All the exam markers I know are women.

Seems to fit in quite nicely with maternity leave/children.

I am an examiner. I can see the candidate's names on the exam scripts. I couldn't give a flying fuck whether the candidate whose exam script I mark is male or female and nor could any of the other examiners I work with.

We mark down candidates who do badly in relation to the assessment objectives of the paper and reward those who do well. I know this doesn't suit the conspiracy theorists out there so sorry about that.

I am fully with TheCowardlyLion. I don't think that women will have equality while they spout rubbish about names!
I said some time ago, backed up byLynetteScavo, that most exam markers that I know are women, purely because it fits in with a family.
The fact that girls, on the whole, do better-disproves it anyway.

I think the entire school/exam system favours girls. Even down to -'take your daughter to work day'-where is 'take your son to work day'? Don't they need encouragement?

TCL, No, I won't. I'm not hear to teach basic research skills in the social sciences. Look it up for yourself on the internet.

As you are having trouble finding articles on gender bias in marking, you might want to enter the words - 'gender bias marking' into google.

exoticfruits wrote - "Even down to -'take your daughter to work day'-where is 'take your son to work day'? Don't they need encouragement?"

Are you saying that there is an official UK Government sponsored "Take Your Daughter To Work Day" but not one for sons?

As far as I know vesuvia-I will google it and get back.

No -I am pleased to say it is take your daughter or son to work-so I am most pleasantly surprised. I must have got it from the huge publicity on daughters.
I just feel that boys get left out. Scouts have to take girls-Guides don't take boys-it all seems one sided.