In academia, grades constitute a behaviorist rewards
system in which we are conditioned to associate good
grades with self-worth, intelligence, and skill. Good
grades boost self-efficacy and inform self-concept, while
bad grades are discouraging. It’s typical for students
who receive poor grades in a class to infer that they are
“bad at” the subject and don’t belong in the discipline.
Students who already feel as though they don’t belong
in the discipline (or academia at large) due to their
gender or minority status are likely to find poor grades
all the more alienating. Besides, it’s doubtful whether
grades are, in fact, fair indicators of intelligence and
skill. As a result, the punishment/reward evaluation
system discriminates against students who fail to jump
through certain hoops while further discriminating
against students who don’t belong to the dominant
culture.
In other words (in case you aren’t convinced by the
anti-grades argument): Women and minority students
who struggle need more support and encouragement
than other students who also struggle.
9. BECAUSE speaking up in a classroom full of men can
be intimidating, so women and minorities often become
invisible to their peers. As a result, it becomes more difficult for women and minorities to find each other and
create their own supportive communities.
10. BECAUSE women are accused of being over-sensitive or hysterical when they complain about micro-aggressions.