Rhacel Salazar Parreñas

by Ray Delgado

To say “representation matters” would be a huge understatement to Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, the Florence Everline Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies. To her, it’s a core principle she has benefited from as an immigrant from the Philippines making her way through a complex educational system, as well as a principle she practices daily in her role as a tenured professor in Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Parreñas’ recent book Unfree: Migrant Domestic Work in Arab States was recently recognized by the American Sociological Association with the Distinguished Scholarly Book Award, the highest prize in sociology.

As part of the 50th Anniversary celebration of Title IX, EEO-TIX Director of Communications and Marketing Ray Delgado interviewed Parreñas to get her thoughts on the importance of Title IX and her role as a trailblazer for gender equity at USC. 

As you know, Title IX turned 50 last June, so we’re celebrating this milestone and wanted to get your thoughts about what this legislation means to you.

Parreñas: I knew that it was the 50th anniversary of Title IX and that, without question, it’s something to celebrate because of the greater representation of women in higher education. In my case, it’s very relevant in terms of faculty representation of women. At the same time, it’s unbelievable that it’s been 50 years because you’re also thinking, “We’ve done a lot, but not enough in 50 years.” While there’s an increasing number of women faculty, we still see a disparity in representation, especially as you go up to the full professor level. In many universities across the country, not just at USC, you see a greater representation of men among full professors and less women. So that’s an area to focus on.

The second issue is, while we celebrate women’s representation in higher education, we also know that the physical space of college campuses is not experienced the same way by men and women and that the problem of sexual assault is still there. So then the 50-year milestone, I think, is something to celebrate, that it stayed there, and it hasn’t been repealed like Roe versus Wade. But at the same time, the extent of its enforcement could be revisited.

How important is [it to] you…as part of this celebration, to focus on the future and passing the mantle to others who are coming up to continue this work?

Parreñas: I look at Title IX as opening the door and creating pathways for women like me to exist in higher education. At the same time, I see it as my responsibility to make sure that the principles that Title IX is advancing is something that I personally move forward in my actions, in my decision making as a senior academic. It’s not just a law that hovers over us, but it’s a law that I think we should embody the principles of as we make everyday decisions in the classroom, in hiring matters, in promotion matters, or in the design of support mechanisms we have for different faculty to thrive in the academy.

Is that always part of your thinking as you approach your role and your position as well?

Parreñas: Yes, I really strongly feel that, as a woman of color who has advanced in higher education, I have a personal responsibility to diversify and equalize higher education to be a more welcoming space for everyone. That personal responsibility is something that I definitely practice and take seriously in my mentorship of other underrepresented academics, for sure.

Wonderful. When did you first become aware of Title IX?

Parreñas:I immigrated to the US in 1984 from the Philippines, not long after I learned about Title IX. I was a nerdy high school student who was admitted to a STEM program for girls at Radcliffe College, which was designed to create pathways for women high school students to consider a STEM degree. I was recruited to be in that program. Then I remember in our introduction to the program, in the orientation, there was a discussion of Title IX and the lack of representation of women in science. We were given six weeks to orient us to potential careers in science. That was my foray into the world of Title IX. I didn’t learn about it from the perspective of athletes, which is how we know about it in mainstream media. But I learned it through the STEM route, which is one of the principles that Title IX gives priority to.

How did that motivate you, knowing that there was Title IX and that there was an underrepresentation of women in STEM programs, to continue on with your education and be one of those trailblazers?

Parreñas: It’s very interesting because I was very gifted in mathematics, which is how I got selected to be in that program. I actually thought I was going to be a mathematician, not even realizing the politics of underrepresentation, but I think that doing that Title IX-supported program, or Title IX-motivated program, really encouraged me to continue my studies of mathematics. I actually initially pursued mathematics as a major in college. I mean, long story, but then I became a social scientist. But I do think that having this math background makes me a better sociologist, not just in terms of crunching numbers, but in terms of being able to look at society in a systematic way. I think there’s a foundation there that has helped me become a better sociologist.

How has Title IX changed USC as far as you can tell?

Parreñas: We have a female president, we have a female dean at Dornsife. We have female deans in other units. I think the strong presence of female leaders in administration is very noteworthy. You can’t deny that, symbolically, that inspires students. Just even seeing their presence has a validating experience for many of the younger women on campus.

Were there any female identifying or transgender individuals or allies who inspired you when you were young?

Parreñas: Without question. The presence of women of color, or specifically Asian women faculty in my classes as an undergraduate at UC Berkeley, was very validating for me, because for me, seeing them as my professors in this position of authority told me that I could advance in society the same way they did. I think just their very presence as professors inspired me to pursue a career in academia. Their being there made it a feasible goal for me.

What do you believe the future holds for Title IX and gender equity?

Parreñas: Well, one thing is, let’s hope that this does not become a law that conservatives choose to attack. Maybe two years ago, I would’ve not even thought of that. That’s what’s frightening. I think that we have to make sure that our political commitment to gender equality remains. Frighteningly, we have to say that. But I also think that, even if it’s not under threat, we still have a lot of work to do, especially as we know that our representation, especially our representation on the top – whether as presidents or politicians or full professors – it’s still really unequal across genders.

Delgado: Do you think [it is important that] this TItle IX 50th Anniversary campaign, …, that it’s so publicly celebrated as a law?

Parreñas: Yes, I do think that. I wanted to support this campaign because my hope is that students don’t take it for granted the same way that I think we took for granted Roe versus Wade. Before, I would never have imagined it as possibly under threat. But now I think anything is possible at this point.

Can you imagine your life without Title IX?

Parreñas: No. I don’t think I’d be a professor. I don’t think that my presence in the academy would be a priority. I think that Title IX also legitimized the study of women. I think that Title IX raised this question about how, across fields, let’s say, even just sticking with the humanities and social sciences, the representation of women in our curriculum was not really there. To amend that, gender studies as a field, as a department, emerged. I’m primarily a gender studies scholar. I think Title IX gives legitimacy to what I bring to the table as a scholar. It’s changed my life.