It’s the Doctor for Me
By: Cathryn Mcclellan Kelly
Tags: Equality, Leadership, Women, Sexism, Education

On Friday, December 11, 2020, a man by the name of Joseph Epstein wrote. The Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece on the fact that Dr. Jill Biden goes by a doctor even though, according to him, he only has a Doctorate in Education Leadership, and the only people that should be going by a doctor are those with a medical doctorate. It took me forty-eight hours to process that this opinion piece was published by a reputable publication such as The Wall Street Journal and not a farcical article by the Onion. I mean, it’s 2020, so I should no longer have the ability to be in shock, but I continue to be. Once the initial shock, I realized the gravitas of this article outside of his singular opinion. The comfort level used to write the piece indicates the lack of comfort of having highly qualified women in positions of leadership. Because let’s be honest here, a man would never tell another man to lessen himself in fear of being seen as pretentious. This is so much more than this, though, about a title, reframing how we see women, and feeling comfortable that women can have an identity outside of being someone’s wife, daughter, mother.

According to Census data, the number of individuals with doctoral degrees had doubled to more than 4.5 million over 25. With the number of women receiving these degrees on the rise as well. So why wouldn’t this group use the title that they have most definitely earned after years of studying and research? Recent studies have shown that the gender bias introduction by men regarding the use of professional titles in introducing those who have even earned medical degrees and are the baby delivering doctors, as Epstein likes to call them. So much of this is because women should be seen through a wife or mother’s lens instead of individual merit and success.

My grandmother, Dr. Kathryn McClellan, also received her EdD in Educational Leadership, and I remember even when my grandfather questioned why a teacher needed a doctorate and whether she would go by Mrs. or Dr. McClellan once she got her degree. Luckily she was a fantastic role model, and from the moment she received her degree went by Dr. Kathryn McClellan, and when going to parties or addressing items, it was Mr. and Dr. McClellan. She wanted to make sure we know that we are more than just who we are married to. We are our people with our accomplishments and should never let anyone forget that.

I the wake of that opinion piece the, words of Lizzo still reign true, why men great until they gotta be great. Why can’t men get their 1930’s mentalities out of here and let the qualified women out here shine in all their glory? We should be celebrating that women who are qualified, educated, and tested are entering leadership positions. And specifically, with Dr. Biden, we should be glad that a woman with experience in education leadership and, more particularly, our community college system is about to be in a role where she can truly make an impact as the United States continues to fall behind the educational curve of other countries. So Dr. Biden and every other woman with a Dr., Esq., or any other notable professional title before or after their name wear it with pride and correct every person, especially men, who try to leave it off. Men, who don’t understand that women can be more than someone’s wife or mother, respect the title.