We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 June 2025
[T]hose with status and power have the authority to render others visible, invisible, or hypervisible [because] power differentials […] result in asymmetry around who controls their own visibility and that of others.
What's visible is my race, what's invisible is my contribution.
The bell rang and I wrapped up a lecture on sexism in my introductory sociology course. I was proud of myself for having mentioned the research on how professors give men more opportunities to talk in college classrooms; I wanted my material to be relevant to the students. Two of the women in the class stayed behind to speak with me. They looked uncomfortable.
One said, “So, about professors giving guys more airtime during class …” and stopped.
The other one continued, “We decided to track the gender breakdown in who talked in class today. You know, there are two guys in the class, and twenty women. But you called on the guys almost half of the time. Did you do that on purpose to make your point?”
I suddenly felt a lot less proud of myself. I had not done it on purpose. I had not even been aware that I was doing it.
Every professor I’ve ever told this story to has their own version of it, including feminist-identified female professors. Men talking disproportionately is so normal that most of us don't notice it most of the time.
About a decade later, I ordered a Starbucks Frappuccino on a hot summer day. The barista squinted at me and said, “You do know this drink has like sixty carbs in it, right?”
I held my ground. “Do you tell everyone that, or just overweight women?”
She glared. “I’m just saying.”
I ordered the drink anyway, but I didn't enjoy it.
Visibility plays a complicated role in systemic inequality, because being visible works to our advantage sometimes but being invisible can also work to our advantage. Similarly, visibility can be problematic, but so can invisibility, depending on the context. If you’re in the socially valued group, both your visibility and your invisibility work in your favor: you receive positive attention without having to contend with unwanted attention. If you’re in the socially devalued group, both your visibility and your invisibility work against you when you are “scrutinized but not recognized.”
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
