Learning to Think Before You Speak, Part 2

Oh, I love my job. I love the flexibility and creativity of it, and I love working with students. But the nature of the field is that it is sorely lacking in women. I have very few female colleagues. And usually it doesn't bother me. But my male colleagues are so oblivious to what they say and how it is perceived that it is, at times, annoying. Just now, I've received an email sent to a list of assistant professors addressed "Gents." Now, I am the only woman on this list, but he knows me and he should know I'm on the list--he should have known better. As another example, when I was ~5 months pregnant last year, a male colleague said to me in the elevator, "So, looks like you're cooking something up in there." Geez.

Now, both of these guys are people I'm generally friendly with, and I really honestly believe that they're not actively trying to keep women down. In fact, I don't believe that either of these guys is against promoting women to join the field (you may be surprised to learn that there are some people who still think a women's place is not in engineering). But if you happen to be in a field where your sex dominates (and I've heard this happens the other way around to men in female-dominated fields), have a care, and THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK!