Thoughts on the Future of the Discipline

Dr. Andersen thinks that the field of sociology has become a more feminist field; as a result some men have started to worry about the consequences this has and what this means as more women become more numerous in the field. She also thinks it is important for the field to be more aware of the inequalities plaguing society; something which isn't surprising as she continually defines "[her] life's work and that of the sociologists whom [she] admire[s] has focused on social inequities--inequities brought by continuous systems of racial, gender, and class stratification."

Goals

Margaret Andersen’s currently hoping to able to retire because she would really like more time for writing and traveling. Generally speaking, her goals for sociology is that it continues in its effort to making its discipline more open to diverse groups of people and also in making it more understanding to groups who have not been mostly cast aside or invisble up until now.

Advice for Women Starting Out a Career in Social Sciences

Margaret Andersen’s advice for women starting out a career in the social sciences is to go to the best graduate department you can get into and while there make sure that you find a network for women students who have really good skills. She also thinks that women should make sure to go after what they want in life, and to always persevere. If anyone tells you that you cannot succeed, you should not let their putdowns affect you and simply go after what you want.

My Final Thoughts

Honestly this has to be one of, if not my favorite assignment. Although in the beginning this seemed a pretty daunting task I must admit that I truly enjoyed learning more about my women and getting to know more not only about her but her work. The thought of contacting these women was a little more than intimidating after all these women are very influential in the academic world; most if not all have prolific writing careers and hold not just faculty positions at impressive universities and colleges across the nation but also belong to prestigious organizations. It is no wonder I was a little nervous about getting in touch with my respective woman. Thankfully my woman, Dr. Margaret Andersen, despite what I’m sure is a very busy schedule, graciously agreed to participate in our women in society memoir project. The more I talked to and researched about Dr. Andersen, the more awe-struck I became. Not only is she inexplicably kind, but after reading numerous publications by her, I’m sure she is one of the most intelligent woman I will come in contact with. Her work, grounded in the advancement of groups discriminated against on the basis of race, class, and gender (greatly) touched me as a woman of color planning on pursuing a higher education. In short, I truly enjoyed working with Dr. Andersen and genuinely thank her for her participation, it was a pleasure and a privilege.

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges Margaret Andersen faced was sexism from faculty in her academic career while attending both university and pursuing her graduate degree. One of the instances which she clearly remembers in having to deal with sexism of her early faculty encounters, is her first day of college, she was told by her faculty advisor that if she “wanted to succeed as a woman, [she] had to work twice as hard.” In retrospect, Dr. Andersen realizes that this was true, however the way it was said rubbed her the wrong way.

Useful Links

University of Delaware webpage (includes curriculum vitae/Courses taught)
http://udel.edu/~mla/

American Sociological Association (Jessie Bernard Award)
http://www.asanet.org/footnotes/septoct06/fn9.html

Google Books (Margaret Andersen)
http://books.google.com/books?as_auth=Margaret+L+Andersen&source=an&ei=upDnSe3kO4SaMpOGodkF&sa=X&oi=book_group&resnum=4&ct=title&cad=author-navigational

Stanford University Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity
http://ccsre.stanford.edu/