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A retired friend was remembering when there were departmental secretaries at universities who basically project managed the departments. You could give them handwritten documents, and they would type them up. He was shocked when I said it didn't work like that for female academics.

I never noticed that, he said, not disbelieving me exactly, but that's what such an apparently impartial observation is doing. But you wouldn't notice it, would you, I said, when the system is working for you. #AcademicSky

Because admin staff were mostly women, female academics were considered equivalent. There to perform service, not to undertake intellectual work. Of course it was more complex than this, but that's the broad picture. #AcademicSky