I'VE noticed in my sections that often, only one or two women in the whole section ever say anything. I think this must partly be because of unconscious intimidation.

Sadly, this observation is neither uncommon nor new. For years now, studies have shown that on average, women students participate less frequently than men in college classes.

In 1982, Catherine G. Krupnick, former director of the Danforth Center for Teaching, studied 24 Harvard sections and found that in all cases, men spoke more than women. In predominantly male classes taught by male professors, she found that men spoke 2.5 times longer than women.

Many other studies at different universities have reached similar conclusions. And last spring at a Harvard conference on gender and learning, Krupnick and others testified that substantial gender inequality persists in classrooms today.

Despite the overwhelming consensus of research on the issue, students and teachers at Harvard have yet to confront their responsibility to eliminate the problem of gender inequality in the classroom. Until they do, the quality of education at Harvard--for both men and women--will continue to suffer.

IN FEBRUARY and March of last year, the Danforth Center put up graffiti sheets in the houses to solicit comments about gender in the classroom. Remarks such as those excerpted here in italics attest to the problems' severity; many women here feel marginalized by the aggressive atmosphere of the typical Harvard classroom.

I've seen so many intelligent women act really stupid when in the presence of males.

Eeeek! It hurts to watch! I'm just as bad, though--I often don't ask questions in class because I feel that [my questions] might not be "good enough."

A study conducted by Roberta Hall of the American Association of College's Project on the Status and Education of Women found that common female classroom behaviors are hesitations and false starts in speech, high-pitched or soft vocal tones, qualifiers throughout comments and questions, a questioning tone when making a statement, polite or deferential speech and avoidance of eye-contact when talking.

In her study, Krupnick found that women talk more frequently after other women talk. In a classroom "gender run," men dominate discussions for a substantial period of time until a woman breaks in; the woman's comment initiates a relatively short series of remarks by female students. When a man rejoins the discussion, the cycle begins again.

What explains these behaviors? According to Corrie Norman, a former teaching consultant at the Danforth Center, women's lack of confidence may reflect not lack of knowledge or seriousness on their part, but social conditioning of both women and men.

In my tutorial I was out-numbered by men 2:1. On several occasions I was teased and even insulted for being outspoken in class. But I have also spoken with men who felt women have been passive in section because they perceive themselves to be less capable than men.

Confident women may be criticized as over-aggressive and abrasive because they challenge traditional assumptions about how women should behave. But women who speak less assertively are often overlooked, although many women have been subtley taught since childhood to be deferential and non-confrontational.

Verbal and non-verbal cues from other students and faculty tell women that they are not valued in the classroom.

Here are some examples of comments that have made me feel marginalized this year in my science classes: