Why Jill Biden’s Doctoral Degree Angers People

It’s so much more than misogyny.

Essayist Joseph Epstein recently wrote a letter-style op-ed for the Wall Street Journal in which he suggests Dr. Jill Biden should drop her title as she prepares to become First Lady of the United States.

Epstein spends the letter giddily elaborating on the reasons he feels Biden’s title is an unnecessary indulgence. Despite the fact that anyone who holds such an advanced degree earned their title through years of labor, Epstein — who holds only an honorary doctorate and admits he barely scraped through his bachelor’s program — suggests Biden’s degree is insufficient. Fraudulent. Comedic, even.

Because a woman who holds an advanced degree is, in his eyes, a joke. Only a man who delivers a baby can hold the title of doctor — by implication, not a woman who has merely birthed one.

Misogynistic overtones and condescending language aside, Epstein spends considerable space in the letter discussing his own credentials as a professor at Northwestern University. Except, he was…