Once More Into the Mailbag

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

I cannot forego commenting on the article about the Radcliffe Institute in yesterday's CRIMSON.

We are now used to hearing about the influence of levels of expectation on the performance of members of minority groups in our society. The problem there appears usually to begin in the early school grades or even per-school. This is not so for the female majority. Nowadays, girls ensounter little or no discrimination in levels of expectation regarding their academic performance right up through college and even graduate or professional school. Expectation and performance decline only at the point at which women enter the world of jobs and/or professions. There they are not expected to do as well as men and are often lauded for relatively modest levels of performance.

The temptation is therefore considerable for women to work less hard than men of similar age and ability, and to accept graciously the admiration offered for trying. This forces the Radcliffe Institute and women in general to operate with a level of self-criticism not ordinarily required of men.  Ruth Hubbard  (Mrs. George Wald)  Research Associate and  Lecturer in Biology