Resources for Administrators
Promoting Gender Equity in the Academic Workplace
Adapted from: Equal Rights Advocates: Creating Gender Equity in Academia
- Issues:
- Women are not hired according to their proportion in the higher education labor pool.
- Women faculty are disproportionately burdened with mentoring and advising responsibilities.
- Sporadic efforts to create gender equity do not work. One needs commitment and focus.
- Lack of clarity about the criteria for advancement and lack of transparency in the decision-making process lead to inequitable application of standards.
- Characterizing women’s family responsibilities as career distractions that signal a lack of commitment hinders their ability to succeed.
- Solutions:
- Thinking outside of traditional networks may increase the diversity of the applicant pool.
- In order for significant change to take place, gender equity must be institutionalized. Work toward institutionalizing programs (i.e. mentoring) that help promote all faculty members.
- Make clear and concise rules for advancement.
- Be aware of who is handling a majority of your department’s mentoring and advising work.
Selected Resources on Gender Equity:
- Valian, V. (2003). Benefits of ensuring gender equity. Available online at: http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/genderequity/equityMaterials/benefits.pdf
- Committee on Maximizing the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering (2006). Beyond bias and barriers: Fulfilling the potential of women in academic science and engineering. Washington, DC: National Academies.
Additional information:
