Don't call me a "Young Lady"

This week I had the privilege of listening to a deputy secretary for the U.S. federal government discuss energy issues. She was a fantastic speaker - incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, thought-provoking, and displayed abundant skill in her area of expertise. After her speech, I chatted with a few of the attendees and asked what they thought of her remarks. Three individuals, all middle-aged white men, commented how terrific her speech was and how they learned so much from this, paraphrasing, "remarkable young woman."

It should be noted that the speaker is likely of middle age as well - she noted in her speech the nearly 30 years she has spent in public service - and so it struck me that members of the opposite sex would label her as a "young woman." Now, I am certain they meant no harm in his descriptor, but I got to thinking if they would have labeled a male presenter of similar age and experience as a "remarkable young man." The fact is, I do not think that they would. They would have commended his remarks and never mentioned his age or gender.

Now for a confession, I caught myself referring to some early career faculty members at my university as "accomplished young women" the other day. Would I have described them as "young" or "men" or felt the need to state that they are accomplished (they are university faculty - of course they are accomplished!)? Again, I do not think so. My own bias, which I am embarrassed to admit as it means betraying my gender, is that I attach successful women as more a rarity than male counterparts.

When we attach age to gender and that connection to success, experience, or expertise, we are essentially saying that women and men do not operate on a level playing field. A middle-aged man carries an expectation of expertise, while a middle-aged woman is found to be a novelty for that same level of expertise based simply on her gender.

So I am making a public commitment, as well as a plea, to stop labeling professionals by age or gender. No more will I refer to that "remarkable young woman" or that "accomplished young man." Doing so only serves to belittle their remarkable accomplishments. Let us instead refer to remarkable professionals/contributors/leaders, people who have committed themselves to achieving a level of expertise. Regardless of age or gender, knowledge and its application should be commended, not the physical attributes of the messenger.