Hillary Clinton, Through a Lens Wrongly

I genuinely doubt that Obama was intentionally referring to a catfight, a stereotypical image that trivializes women, when, in a speech at Tulane University last month, he responded to Clinton's criticism of him by saying, "You challenge the status quo, and suddenly the claws come out." When we describe others, we reach for words that just seem to fit, but language is drenched in gender.

I began my research into women and men at work at the invitation of several large corporations. Those who approached me -- men, in most cases -- told me that they hire women who are just as qualified as the men they hire, if not more so. But five years later, the men have been promoted, and the women are stuck at lower levels or have left the company. This was a problem not only because the company lost the investment it had made in hiring and training, but because it lost the talent that was evident when the women were hired. The companies wanted to be fair to the women involved, but even more, they wanted to be fair to the company and its stockholders, to fulfill their responsibility not to waste or lose valuable talent.

In the same way, we need to clear the gender fog off the glasses through which we view Hillary Clinton to fulfill our responsibilities as voters.

tannend@georgetown.edu

Deborah Tannen is a professor of linguistics at Georgetown University. Her books include "Talking from 9 to 5: Women and Men at Work."