A political science professor at Boise State University recently went viral in the worst possible way: He made comments about women in the workforce that feel straight out of a 1950s conservative handbook, as covered by The Daily Beast. The professor in question, Scott Yenor, made the anti-feminist comments while at the annual National Conservatism Conference in Orlando, Florida, in October, but has only recently gotten backlash on social media.
What did Yenor say? At the event, which included keynote speakers like U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, Yenor suggested that women should focus on “feminine goals” such as having children and being homemakers instead of going to school for medicine, law, and engineering. He attacked “strong, independent” women, Sex and the City, and women who work in fields like human resources and marketing, calling them “agents of the new world, but not new life.” He described these women as the “backbone” of every “left-wing cosmopolitan party” in the Western world, including, of course, the Democratic Party here in the United States. Somehow, that’s not even the worst part of his remarks.
“Young men must be respectable and responsible to inspire young women to be secure with feminine goals of homemaking and having children,” Yenor told the audience during the Oct. 31 event. He added that “every effort” must go toward not recruiting women into engineering, but instead to “recruit and demand” more of men who are engineers.
“Ditto for med school, and the law, and every trade,” he added.
You can watch his speech here, courtesy of YouTube.
YouTube Video
On Twitter, he reshared a video of his comments and a double-down on his sexist remarks, describing “independent” women as more “medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome.”
According to the Idaho Statesmen, Yenor served on a right-wing politician’s investigative task force in the past. Yenor reportedly looked into “indoctrination” in schools on behalf of Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who herself is a far-right Republican.
At this point, you might be thinking: Well, this is terrible, but at least his horrible views have come to light and he’ll be removed from the classroom! But alas, that’s not the case.
Mike Sharp, a spokesperson for the university, told the Statesman in a statement that the university is not removing Yenor, as it would be an infringement on his First Amendment rights. Sharp added that “no single faculty member” defines what the school endorses or stands for. Which, okay, but what about the students who actually take—and likely pay to take—his classes? Are we really to believe grades are fair? What about letters of recommendation? References for jobs or graduate school? Even within the department itself, are we really to believe this is fair when it comes to promoting faculty or offering tenure reviews? Academic papers?
Apparently, folks online are wondering the same things, as a number of people on Twitter expressed shock and concern.
If you’re curious about Yenor’s background, he holds a PhD from Loyola University, Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. According to Idaho Education News, Yenor holds tenure at Boise State and was hired back in 2000.
If you want to take a deep dive into Yenor’s hysterical talking points, he has a YouTube channel with more than one video about the “recovery" of family values.
YouTube Video
What did Yenor say? At the event, which included keynote speakers like U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, Yenor suggested that women should focus on “feminine goals” such as having children and being homemakers instead of going to school for medicine, law, and engineering. He attacked “strong, independent” women, Sex and the City, and women who work in fields like human resources and marketing, calling them “agents of the new world, but not new life.” He described these women as the “backbone” of every “left-wing cosmopolitan party” in the Western world, including, of course, the Democratic Party here in the United States. Somehow, that’s not even the worst part of his remarks.
“Young men must be respectable and responsible to inspire young women to be secure with feminine goals of homemaking and having children,” Yenor told the audience during the Oct. 31 event. He added that “every effort” must go toward not recruiting women into engineering, but instead to “recruit and demand” more of men who are engineers.
“Ditto for med school, and the law, and every trade,” he added.
You can watch his speech here, courtesy of YouTube.
YouTube Video
On Twitter, he reshared a video of his comments and a double-down on his sexist remarks, describing “independent” women as more “medicated, meddlesome, and quarrelsome.”
According to the Idaho Statesmen, Yenor served on a right-wing politician’s investigative task force in the past. Yenor reportedly looked into “indoctrination” in schools on behalf of Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, who herself is a far-right Republican.
At this point, you might be thinking: Well, this is terrible, but at least his horrible views have come to light and he’ll be removed from the classroom! But alas, that’s not the case.
Mike Sharp, a spokesperson for the university, told the Statesman in a statement that the university is not removing Yenor, as it would be an infringement on his First Amendment rights. Sharp added that “no single faculty member” defines what the school endorses or stands for. Which, okay, but what about the students who actually take—and likely pay to take—his classes? Are we really to believe grades are fair? What about letters of recommendation? References for jobs or graduate school? Even within the department itself, are we really to believe this is fair when it comes to promoting faculty or offering tenure reviews? Academic papers?
Apparently, folks online are wondering the same things, as a number of people on Twitter expressed shock and concern.
If you’re curious about Yenor’s background, he holds a PhD from Loyola University, Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. According to Idaho Education News, Yenor holds tenure at Boise State and was hired back in 2000.
If you want to take a deep dive into Yenor’s hysterical talking points, he has a YouTube channel with more than one video about the “recovery" of family values.
YouTube Video