Gender equity session stimulates dialogue

Excerpt

AN important initial step toward establishing a framework for constructive action to enhance opportunities for women and other minorities was taken at the Soil and Water Conservation Society's (SWCS) national meeting on August 11, 1992, during a two-hour roundtable on gender equity.

The 15 to 20 participants at the session consisted of a very broad cross-section of the conservation community.

The diversity of age, professional experience, regional perspectives, and value orientations were evident throughout the discussion. The group was more or less equally balanced in numbers between men and women.

As it turned out, the one common quality which resonated among the participants was the earnest desire to understand the positions of others. Both men and women expressed frustrations regarding issues pertaining to affirmative action in promotion and hiring. It would be difficult to characterize the emerging framework as breaking down along gender lines. There were, for example, both men and women who felt strongly about the significance of gender neutral speech. There were others who did not.

One of the most significant parts of the session involved participants working through this issue.

Participants had little difficulty citing numerous instances of discrimination, harassment, and insensitivity. Perhaps …