chilly climate
nounEtymology chilly (“unfriendly or distant and cool”) + climate (“the context in general of a particular situation”)
1
Idiomatic A male-dominated environment where both overt and subtle forms of discrimination lead to the unequal treatment of women
- A chilly climate is not conducive for women students' learning...2008, Kimberly Turner Helms, Self-reflection During Transition to College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, page 39:
- Most frequently, issues of chilly climate are noted among women pursuing doctorates in the sciences and engineering.2012, Margaret W Sallee, “The Individual and the Institution”, in On Becoming a Scholar: Socialization and Development in Doctoral Education, page 141: