Why We Won't Stand for Men Demeaning Dr. Jill Biden

We've all been in her shoes. And we're fed up.

A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed advised incoming FLOTUS Jill Biden to drop the “Dr.” from her title. Here’s what we have to say on the matter.

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Just weeks ago, we celebrated the prowess of the first-ever full-time working FLOTUS, Dr. Jill Biden. Her achievements, along with those of Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris, mean a lot for working moms, women and equality in the US. But, for some reason, an author suggested in the Wall Street Journal that Jill should drop her Dr. honorific—“at least publicly.” And we’re pissed.

The author, Joseph Epstein, refers to her title as “comic,” “fraudulent” and even “bush league.” Epstein, a Chicago-based writer with books on writing and Jewish men, was a visiting lecturer in literature and writing at Northwestern University from 1974 to 2002.

In the piece, titled “Is There a Doctor in the White House? Not if You Need an M.D.," which is disgustingly demeaning in itself, he argues that those who tout the title and don’t actually hold scientific doctorates are “diminishing the seriousness” of the credential. He details the fainting of doctoral candidates as commonplace back in who knows when, and that the erosion of the Ph.D. has robbed the degree of its prestige. Right.

Epstein has a B.A. in absentia from the University of Chicago and an honorary doctorate from Adelphi University. He jokes about being referred to as “Dr.” while he taught at Northwestern—though doesn’t explicitly say he ever corrected his students. Interesting. He also admits to emailing Northwestern after handing out honorary doctorates to comedian-commentators Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert for their “low quality."

Dr. Jill Biden, a college English professor, holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Delaware—in addition to three other degrees—and earned her highest degree later in life, after raising three children. While this is no doubt a feat that ought to be celebrated, women have actually been leading the way in terms of degrees for years. Catalyst research shows that women earn more university degrees than men and have for some time now, specifically, more bachelor’s degrees since 1982, more master’s degrees since 1987, and more doctorate degrees since 2006. So, I beg the question: Would he have suggested the same thing to a man?

Let’s get one thing straight: A doctorate is a doctorate is a doctorate is a doctorate. Sure, Jill isn’t a medical doctor, but she never claimed to be.

The condescending, mansplaining tone of the piece was surely intentional. His constant pecks at her intelligence with “kiddo” and “Dr. Jill” are in no way subtle or easily misconstrued. Men belittling women’s achievements is nothing new. Whether consciously or unconsciously, men like Epstein have been doing so for years. In a 2017 study in the Journal of Women’s Health, researchers found that when it came to speaker introductions at a medical conference, men introduced 72 percent of men as “Dr.” but only 49 percent of women as the same, while women introduced speakers as “Dr.” regardless of gender.

He ends the piece with this:

As for your Ed.D., Madame First Lady, hard-earned though it may have been, please consider stowing it, at least in public, at least for now. Forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill, and settle for the larger thrill of living for the next four years in the best public housing in the world as First Lady Jill Biden.

After the Journal ran the piece on Dec. 11, the internet exploded. A number of other op-eds came out criticizing the piece, including one in the Washington Post that addresses Epstein's statement, “A wise man once said that no one should call himself ‘Dr.’ unless he has delivered a child,” with the simple fact that she “did deliver a child, out of her own uterus.” Another piece in The Atlantic suggests it’s more apt for women and people of color to insist on such titles where they might be less common—like in the White House. Further, the writer asks what we all want to know: “If Jill Biden wants to flaunt her Ed.D., who are we to object?”

What exactly was the point of this condescending take? To the editors, what was gained from sharing such an irrelevant viewpoint in your esteemed publication? Who wins here? The “real” doctors are too busy dealing with a raging pandemic—and I bet they could care less what Dr. Jill Biden goes by.

Give it a rest. Let women showcase our accomplishments. And if you haven’t read the piece yet, we suggest you save yourself the trouble and just don’t.