While working on my group project — once again taking on the role of note-taker — I thought back to a conversation I had last year during the Technical Women Dinner. Together with other women, I discussed how it often ends up being women who take minutes. Although I hadn’t really thought about it before, I realized I recognized the pattern.

When I brought this topic up with men, I got a wide range of perspectives. But they all initially responded the same way: “I’ve never thought about that.” From their point of view, it seemed that men and women at the university share this task equally. For them, this division of labor just seems natural — something they don’t give much extra thought to.

The women I spoke to, on the other hand, often did recognize the statement: women tend to take on the role of note-taker more readily. I asked them why they thought that was. One woman observed that women are more likely to feel responsible for keeping the project organized and don’t mind not participating fully in the discussion. Men, meanwhile, tend to value being heard more. As I dug deeper, many people — even men — admitted that they recognized this dynamic.

Our perception of the note-taker’s role at the university is rooted in old values. Whether consciously or not, and regardless of intent, women are often seen as caring and passive, while men are viewed as proactive and assertive. This is just one example of how social dynamics are still shaped by outdated, unconscious norms — even within our university.

So I urge you: next time you’re assigning roles in a group project, take a moment to think about how much these old values might still be influencing your decisions.

Sharon de Hoog is a Psychology & Technology student and a member of the University Council on behalf of student group DAS. The views expressed in this column are her own.

Photo | Fons van der Vleuten

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.