The point is that the number of women editors is far
smaller than men.
Is this not true, based on the statistics?
I am giving some reasons why many capable new contributors may withdraw
due to the response they receive from some editors.
Every woman is not Molly Ivins and when women leave as contributors
process
it is because they do not want to suffer the experience a second time
once
they are made to feel inadequate or not credible or whatever harsh
language
has been used when their work has been rejected. The community loses many
good contributors due to the meanness of the process. I am speaking from
the experience of some women students who were not comfortable with the
taunting, aggressive response they received if one of their contributions
was deleted.
There is no reason for anyone to feel intellectually abused. It is
perfectly possible to reject, undo or request changes in a manner that is
civil and does not make the contributor feel diminished.
True, but simply making rules and trying to enforce them strictly does
not solve the problem. What is required is development of a community
culture of civility, patience, and kindness.
Fred