Is it rude to ask professors age?

Question

So today during our first lecture we had new faculty to teach us. During first lecture after a brief introduction about him he asked us to ask any questions that we may have about him. So I was curious about how old he was so I asked him. He answered it but I am not sure if it is rude or impolite to ask age of a professor.

Whether something is rude or not is a matter of opinion and doesn't really solve your problem. Whether it's rude to us means nothing. What is important is how to address this with your professor if he thought it was rude. Please [edit] your question to focus on the interpersonal interaction rather than whether what you did was rude or not. — Catija, Jun 20 '18 at 18:30

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 20 '18 at 17:31

You've asked if it's rude to ask a male professor his age in public. I'll answer is it appropriate?

Suppose this professor is old. Suppose they feel their age (mentally, physically, etc.). Suppose they struggle with their worth as a human being because they can't perform how they used to. Suppose they cover up their age by focusing on their appearance. If someone points out their age, particularly publicly, they may feel bad.

Suppose this professor is young. Suppose they feel like people don't take them seriously because they're young. Suppose older people have dismissed them their whole life and they've had to work really hard for respect. If someone points out their youth, particularly publicly, they may feel bad.

Those are just two examples. Someone in between could also not want to disclose their age. In general not a good idea to ask someone their age. Particularly in public.

Now, before you feel bad, consider this:

Suppose this professor is very emotionally mature. They know you asked an inappropriate question, but also suspect you didn't mean anything by it. They've taken note so they can give you further instruction later, if the situation arises. But they don't hold it against you. Everyone makes mistakes.

Probably the thing to do at this point would be:

In the future, if you want to ask someone's age, usually do so privately. (Maybe there's exception for something like if they say "ask me any question - nothing is off limits" - then maybe take them up on their offer) Secondly, you could say:

Professor, I did some thinking. Was my age question out of place to ask?

And listen. Then apologize if appropriate.

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 20 '18 at 17:29

I'd say as a whole it's not rude as such to ask a person's age, but it's also not polite. Rude, to me, would be making a comment after asking the age, like "Wow! How do remember to put on socks in the morning?" or "when did you start working on your doctorate, when you were 10?"

Personally it all depends on the frame of reference. If it's someone I know, I'm not as put out and will most likely answer. If someone I didn't know came up to me in the grocery store and asked, I'd probably tell him to bugger right off.

I suspect in this case that you aren't the first person to ask that of this professor and he/she has dealt with this question before. It sounds like standard practice to introduce him/her self to the students.

Is it rude to ask professors age?

2 Answers2