{"id":23716,"date":"2021-01-08T02:04:05","date_gmt":"2021-01-08T02:04:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=23716"},"modified":"2021-01-09T04:17:03","modified_gmt":"2021-01-09T04:17:03","slug":"what-the-doctor-title-means-for-women-of-color-with-doctorates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/what-the-doctor-title-means-for-women-of-color-with-doctorates\/","title":{"rendered":"What the ‘doctor’ title means for women of color with doctorates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cecilia E. Suarez<\/a>, University of Florida<\/a><\/em> and Robyn Hannigan<\/a>, Clarkson University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s note: In a Dec. 11 Wall Street Journal op-ed<\/a>, conservative author Joseph Epstein sparked widespread backlash, especially from women in academia, when he chided incoming first lady Jill Biden for using \u201cDr.\u201d before her name while she is not a physician. Biden, a community college professor<\/a>, has a doctor of education degree \u2013 or an Ed.D. Although Jill Biden is white, Epstein\u2019s essay offended many academic women of color for whom the refusal to acknowledge their Ph.D. is particularly hurtful, say Dr. Robyn Hannigan<\/a>, provost of Clarkson University, and Dr. Cecilia E. Suarez<\/a>, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at the University of Florida. The Conversation US usually adheres to Associated Press style<\/a> \u2013 which calls for reserving the \u201cdoctor\u201d titles for medical doctors and dentists in news articles. But it\u2019s making an exception for this article about the importance the title holds for women scholars with Ph.D.s.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is your experience being a woman of color with a doctoral degree?<\/h2>\n
\"\"
Dr. Robyn Hannigan, is the provost of Clarkson University. She holds a doctorate in earth and environmental science.<\/span>
\nClarkson.edu<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am not only a woman who holds a Ph.D. in a male-dominated field, but a woman of mixed heritage (Irish and Native American). There was never a time during my Ph.D. studies that I was not made aware that I was different, sometimes unwelcome, and most assuredly unlikely to thrive in academia.<\/p>\n

I am still taken aback when introduced at functions or to peers by my first name after prior introductions of my male colleagues included \u201cdoctor.\u201d Though it may not always matter to my ego if I am called \u201cdoctor,\u201d it is critically relevant to fostering a culture of respect and belonging.<\/p>\n

As an academic, my Ph.D. is my calling card. It\u2019s a sign that I was trained \u201cproperly\u201d and that I am an independent researcher and leader in my field. Without it I would not have achieved my professional successes.<\/p>\n

There have only been a handful of times when I\u2019ve encountered people who refuse to use the title \u201cdoctor.\u201d I certainly have had numerous encounters, particularly on airplanes, with people who, when I tell them I am Dr. Hannigan and I explain what I study, they respond with a variant on the theme of \u201cOh, so you\u2019re not a real doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n

While I am usually unperturbed by not being introduced or addressed as \u201cdoctor,\u201d I am sensitive to introductions that are followed by \u201cand she is Native American\u201d \u2013 as if being Native American were a barrier to achieving a Ph.D. in and of itself. Every time I hear this I hear the \u201cand\u201d emphasized in a tone of shock and awe. I imagine people thinking: Can you believe it? She is Native American and went to college and someone gave her a Ph.D.?<\/p>\n

No one has ever said \u201cand she is of Irish descent.\u201d Well-meaning people seek to use my presence as a doorway to open conversations around Indigenous issues and concerns. I do still bristle when these situations occur but, of late, have begun to embrace them. I now clearly see the opportunity being handed to me \u2013 to make sure we are having the tough conversations, making real cultural change and creating systems that ensure people of color and across the gender spectrum can thrive in academia.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Dr. Cecilia E. Suarez, an assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication at the University of Florida, holds a doctorate in education policy and social and cultural foundations of education.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Cecilia E. Suarez:<\/strong> The now-infamous Wall Street Journal op-ed giving Dr. Jill Biden the uninvited \u201cadvice\u201d to shed her earned title of \u201cDr.\u201d is yet another drop in the ocean that exemplifies patriarchy and white privilege.<\/p>\n

The suggestion that \u201cDr.\u201d is not significant or appropriate for those who earned a doctorate is yet another way to continue academic gatekeeping and further perpetuates inequitable stratified systems of power. Additionally, it is often marginalized communities that bear the amplified brunt of stress caused by this disempowerment.<\/p>\n

To be honest, I\u2019m not surprised by the op-ed\u2019s efforts to strip away hard-earned qualifications of those not in power. This kind of thing happens every day to women of color, particularly Black women. Oh, and yes, I am absolutely, without a doubt, making this about race.<\/p>\n

As a woman of color, first-generation college student, turned doctor, I see the use of hard-earned titles as hardly a power move. I\u2019ve lost count on the number of times I\u2019ve been the only faculty member in a meeting or conference session not called \u201cDr.\u201d or the only faculty member students refuse to call \u201cDr.,\u201d but rather use \u201cMiss.\u201d The disregarded earned title of Dr. for women of color is not simply an instance of forgetfulness. Rather this practice minimizes the visibility of women of color with doctorates and further perpetuates the inequitable opportunity of this population in education and society.<\/p>\n

Women of color Ph.D.s serve as role models and mentors for girls of color. Our existence communicates that doctorates are attainable by women of color, because representation matters. We\u2019ve also broken our backs to build and educate a nation that has shied away from taking up our causes until they impact white women, like Dr. Jill Biden.<\/p>\n

So, yes be outraged and disgusted, but please be so at the chronic stripping of strength and humanity for all women, especially women of color who continuously experience multiple layers of harm. I can\u2019t prescribe medicine or perform surgery, but I excel at educating future leaders and can diagnose the fragile ego of white privilege in my sleep. Trust me \u2026 after all, I am a doctor.<\/p>\n

[Insight, in your inbox each day.<\/em> You can get it with The Conversation\u2019s email newsletter<\/a>.]\"The<\/p>\n

Cecilia E. Suarez<\/a>, Assistant Professor, University of Florida<\/a><\/em> and Robyn Hannigan<\/a>, Provost, Clarkson University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cecilia E. Suarez, University of Florida and Robyn Hannigan, Clarkson University Editor\u2019s note: In a Dec. 11 Wall Street Journal op-ed, conservative author Joseph Epstein sparked widespread backlash, especially from women in academia, when he chided incoming first lady Jill Biden for using \u201cDr.\u201d before her name while she is not a physician. Biden, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":23717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[292],"tags":[9285,453,152,365,6826,687,9284,498,185],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23716"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23716"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23719,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23716\/revisions\/23719"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}