مکالمه ی فعالانه قسمت ج

ACTIVE SPEAKING / PART C

Tall, Dark and Handsome

Perhaps the times are changing.

Are the times changing? Yes, perhaps the times are changing. Do you think the times are changing for women?

In 1947, only 33 percent of Americans said they would vote for a qualified woman to be president.

In 1947, what percent of Americans said they would vote for a qualified woman to be president? In 1947, only 33 percent of Americans said they would vote for a qualified woman to be president.

In 2007, 90% said they would.

In 2007, what percent of Americans said they would vote for a qualified woman to be president? In 2007, 90% percent of Americans said they would vote for a qualified woman to be president.

But yet, there never has been a female president of the United States.

Has there ever been a female president of the United States? No, there has never been a female president of the United States. Has there ever been a female president in your country?

What people say and what they do are often very different, perhaps because many of our biases are hidden even from ourselves.

Is what people say and what they do always the same? No, of course what people say and what they do aren’t always the same. Why is this? This is because many of our biases are hidden even from ourselves.

The Harvard Implicit Association Test is a test that tries to measure these hidden biases.

What does this test measure? This test measures hidden biases.

You can try it for free online. According to the results over 70% of people are slower when they have to associate women with work and men with family.

What percentage of people are slower when they have to associate women with work and men with family? Seventy percent of people are slower when they have to associate women with work and men with family.

And strangely, even among women there is a bias against associating women with work.

Is this bias true for women too? Yes, this bias is true for women too.

It doesn’t take a Harvard bias test to know that the classical music world was biased against women until fairly recently.

Was the classical music world biased against women until fairly recently? Yes, the classical music world was biased against women until fairly recently.

People think that music is something that can be judged purely on talent, but the way someone looks can change the way their music is heard.

What can change the way music is heard? The way a musician looks can change the way music is heard.

In 1980, Abbie Conant, a professional musician with the Royal Opera of Turin was applying to orchestras around Europe.

Was Abbie Conant a professional politician? No, Abbie Conant wasn’t a professional politician. She was a professional musician. Who did she work for? She worked for the Royal Opera of Turin. What was she applying to? She was applying to orchestras around Europe.

She sent out 11 applications and received only one reply.

How many applications did she send out? She sent out 11 applications. How many replies did she receive? She received only one reply.

It was from the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, and it was addressed to Mr. Abbie Conant.

Who was the reply from? The reply was from the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. Who was the reply addressed to? It was addressed to Mr. Abbie Conant.

Abbie was told to audition against 32 other applicants in a blind audition.

How many other applicants were there? There were 32 other applicants.

The applicants played behind a screen so the judges couldn’t see who was auditioning.

Why did the applicants play behind a screen? The applicants played behind a screen so the judges couldn’t see who was auditioning.

One of the applicants was the son of another professional musician, so they decided that a blind audition was the fair thing to do.

Was one of the applicants a son of another professional musician? Yes, one of the applicants was the son of another professional musician.

This wasn’t done to prevent discrimination against women, but that’s exactly what happened.

Was this done to prevent discrimination against women? No, this wasn’t done to prevent discrimination against women. Is that what happened? Yes, this was exactly what happened.

After the judges had heard Abbie’s playing, the director stopped the auditions and said, “This is who we want.”

Who stopped the audition? The director stopped the audition. What did the director say? The director said, “This is who we want.”

The rest of the applicants were sent home, and the curtain was raised. To their shock, Abbie was a woman.

What happened to the rest of the applicants? The rest of the applicants were sent home. What happened when they raised the curtain? When they raised the curtain they were shocked that Abbie was a woman.

They begrudgingly hired her, but quickly began to discriminate against her.

Were they happy about hiring her? No, they weren’t happy about hiring her. They begrudgingly hired her. What did they quickly begin to do? They quickly began to discriminate against her.

After a year, she was demoted to a lower position with no explanation.

What was the reason for her demotion to a lower position? There was no explanation for her demotion to a lower position.

Abbie took the case to court.

What did Abbie do? Abbie took the case to court.

The orchestra said that because she was a woman, she lacked the physical power to play the trombone at the highest level.

Who said she lacked the physical power to play the trombone at the highest level? The orchestra said that she lacked the physical power to play the trombone at the highest level.

Blood tests and lung tests were performed, and Abbie’s results were excellent.

What kind of tests were performed? Blood tests and lung tests were performed. How were her results? Her results were excellent.

One nurse even thought she was an athlete.

Who thought she was an athlete? One nurse thought she was an athlete.

Independent music experts were brought in and they also said her musical ability was excellent.

What did the independent music experts say about her musical ability? The independent music experts said her musical ability was excellent.