Hire her, let her use a fictitious name for a few weeks, and see what kind of reaction you get from all of us. If she knows her stuff, no one would notice or care.
That being said, I can GUARANTEE you that if the exact same articles were written with a byline of, say, "Cindy Smith" you would receive plenty (well, more than a few) of "she's just a dumb broad tryiing to prove herself in a man's world" sort of comments.
I was actually hired by a female sports editor. She was as good as they get, she was a true professional and she knew her sports better than just about anyone I've ever met. Still, there were many local coaches, ADs, ect. who just couldn't get past the stigma of her being a female sports editor. It didn't faze the majority, but to those who were bothered by it, she had absolutely no hope in changing their minds. She's now editor of a much larger newspaper. Good for her!
That being said, I can GUARANTEE you that if the exact same articles were written with a byline of, say, "Cindy Smith" you would receive plenty (well, more than a few) of "she's just a dumb broad tryiing to prove herself in a man's world" sort of comments.
I was actually hired by a female sports editor. She was as good as they get, she was a true professional and she knew her sports better than just about anyone I've ever met. Still, there were many local coaches, ADs, ect. who just couldn't get past the stigma of her being a female sports editor. It didn't faze the majority, but to those who were bothered by it, she had absolutely no hope in changing their minds. She's now editor of a much larger newspaper. Good for her!
