Chilly Climate Meaning

(idiomatic) A male-dominated environment where both overt and subtle forms of discrimination lead to the unequal treatment of women

Example: 2008 Helms, Kimberly Turner. Self-reflection During Transition to College, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, p. 39
  A chilly climate is not conducive for women students' learning...
2012 Sallee, Margaret W. "The Individual and the Institution", On Becoming a Scholar: Socialization and Development in Doctoral Education. p. 141.
  Most frequently, issues of chilly climate are noted among women pursuing doctorates in the sciences and engineering.