The Doctor is In

This article from the LA Times has been making the rounds in the feminist and women-in-science blogosphere. You can see commentary from Pharyngula and Isis the Goddess/Scientist (warning: NSFW!), among others.

The upshot of the story is that Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Biden, has been going around being addressed with the title "Dr." since she has a doctorate in education. The LA Times seems to think this is a big deal because she isn't an MD, and she's the first second lady (did you parse that correctly?) to continue working while her husband is in office. The subtext there is outrage that Dr. Biden would dare make herself more educated than her husband and then flaunt it by continuing to work, with disdain for intellectuals in general thrown in for good measure.

I worked hard for my degree, thank you very much, and like being addressed by Doctor, even if it does come across as pompous. It's especially important if my male peers are being addresses as doctor: I should get the same respect. I can't win, anyway: Miss doesn't fit, Missus bothers me, and Miz comes across as bitchy. Why should my marital status matter anyway?