Achieving Equity: Women, The Achieving Equity: Women, The Workplace, And The LawWorkplace, And The Law

Temple UniversityTemple University

PERSISTENT INEQUITY: GENDER AND ACADEMIC EMPLOYMENTJohn W. Curtis, Director of Research and Public PolicyAmerican Association of University Professors

October 20, 2010

Major Topics

Data on gender equity in academic employment

Explaining the persistence of inequity Social structures and the rhetoric of

“choice” Shared governance and equity Implementing equity

October 20, 2010Persistent Inequity: Gender and Academic Employment

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Academic Gender Equity: Data Student population (Fig. 1) Employment status (Fig. 2-4) Leadership positions (Fig. 5-7) Gender and contingency

Instructional Staff (2007) Women: 79.3%, Men: 70.6%

Salary (Fig. 8-9) Service; teaching vs. research

October 20, 2010Persistent Inequity: Gender and Academic Employment

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Explaining Persistent Inequity No longer as much blatant discrimination Family responsibilities/caregiving

(Mason, et al.) Women impacted disproportionately

(sacrificing career for family or sacrificing family for career)

Children (“mommy track”) Eldercare Partner accommodation (“trailing spouse”)

(AAUP, 2010)October 20, 2010Persistent Inequity: Gender and Academic Employment

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Explaining Persistent Inequity Expectations (roles and norms) (Drago)

Stigma against caregiving (Williams) Assumptions about competence and

caregiving, varying impact on women and men (Valian; Williams)

Paternalism (Williams) “Ideal worker” norm Changing roles for men and women both The notion of “balance”

October 20, 2010Persistent Inequity: Gender and Academic Employment

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Social Structures and “Choice” Social structures

Changes in jobs and compensation Consumption patterns Variations by race/ethnicity and SES

Rhetoric of “choice” Paycheck Fairness Act (Sommers) Constraints: gendered roles; economics Children/childlessness

October 20, 2010Persistent Inequity: Gender and Academic Employment

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Shared Governance and Equity Faculty role in appointments and

compensation Shared governance and the faculty voice Leadership vs. “pleading”

Unions Representation of women (May, et al) Pay differentials (Smith and Grosso) Support for caregiving (Labor Project For

Working Families)

October 20, 2010Persistent Inequity: Gender and Academic Employment

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Implementing Equity

“Just a matter of time” Equity studies (Curtis, 2010) Intersection of law and data (reference) “Fear factor” (Ward and Wolf-Wendel,

2004; Drago et al., 2005) Awareness; Consciousness-raising

October 20, 2010Persistent Inequity: Gender and Academic Employment

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Achieving Equity: Women, The Achieving Equity: Women, The Workplace, And The LawWorkplace, And The Law

Temple UniversityTemple University

JOHN W. CURTISDIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND PUBLIC POLICYAMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS

E-mail: jcurtis@aaup.org(202) 737-5900 ext. 143