The publication of an article intended to be humorous in the student newspaper of Polytechnique Montreal raised controversy because of its character considered sexist towards women who study engineering.
Entitled “Martine discovers the Polyscope”, the text features a student who, “in order to realize her dream”, begins studies at Polytechnique, but fails her courses and ends up abandoning them to cook “apple turnovers. in a bakery “.
“Martine has a lot of difficulty managing her emotions. It was perhaps not such a big girl after all, ”we read in particular in the text of the Polyscope, the journal of the Polytechnic Student Association.
A software engineering graduate from the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), Alyssa Bouchenak says that the article aroused in her “surprise and incomprehension”.
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The satirical article “Martine discovers the Polyscope” published in the student newspaper of Polytechnique Montreal raised controversy.
“We are now elsewhere: it would be good to write humorous texts that do not always tap on the same stereotypes”, says the young woman of 26 years.
Can we do anything other than beat up on women who are studying engineering, when it is already difficult? We don’t need a text that reminds us of what some students think of us.
Alyssa Bouchenak, graduate in software engineering from ÉTS
The publication of this article, she points out, comes a few days before the commemoration of December 6. On Monday, it will be 32 years since 14 women died in a feminicide that occurred at Polytechnique Montreal.
Recently graduated from an ÉTS master’s degree in software engineering, Marie-Philippe Gill also believes that “this kind of joke has no place” in a student newspaper.
“I thought it discredited the efforts I had made a bit,” says the blogger Girl Knows Tech.
The article from Polyscope also mocks the ÉTS, a “lower education institution” which admits “everyone”.
A “clumsy and offensive” article
Polytechnique Montréal believes that the student newspaper founded in 1967 “did not anticipate the scope of this satirical publication”.
“The team completely missed its target by publishing an awkward and offensive article for women and for the students of the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS). This in no way reflects the values of respect and inclusion in force at Polytechnique, as well as the close links we have with ÉTS, ”writes its spokesperson, Annie Touchette.
It was not possible to reach the student association on Friday, nor the editorial staff of the Polyscope. The student newspaper, however, apologized on Facebook.
” the Polyscope would like to vigorously reaffirm its support for women’s access to genius and the capital, invaluable and necessary place they occupy in the profession ”, we read.
“Each woman, each girl should be able to practice in the field of her choice without discrimination or distinction”, continues the newspaper.
Alyssa Bouchenak says that before sharing her indignation on social media, she first contacted the newspaper in private, without much reaction from its editorial staff.
It always has to be a scandal and enough people are outraged to do something.
Alyssa Bouchenak, graduate in software engineering from ÉTS
She nevertheless hopes that measures will be taken so that in the future, “in the process of revising their texts, we do not add anything to what is already present as dynamics,” she continues.
Engineering remains one of the fields where women are least represented in Quebec. Among the 65,000 engineers registered with the Order of Engineers, 15% are women.
Last spring, Polytechnique Montréal announced that it had reached its goal of graduating 30% of women with a bachelor’s degree in engineering 10 years earlier than expected.