In my previous posts, I have discussed the gender
gap, but mostly in regards to equal pay. Today I have decided to focus on the
gender gap in higher education in relation to females in professional roles in
higher education and the workplace. In James Grove’s article Gender gap in number of female professors
brings to our attention the staggering statistics of “Universities’ efforts to
address gender inequality have been criticized in light of figures showing
that just one in 10 professors is a woman at some institutions.” This gap
in gender equality among professors is not just an issue in the United States
but also throughout the world, and in the United Kingdom where this study was
focused. Although the statistics are drastic, I am beginning to see more women
in professional roles in higher education, but it can also vary depending on
the subjects being taught.
While Grove discusses the slowly closing gender gap
in the United Kingdom, Women close
education gender gap, compiled by StatsCan looks at the education gender
gap in Canada. The report, based on data from the 2011 National Household
Survey said “that 64.8 percent of women aged 25 to 64 have pursued
post-secondary education, compared to 63.4 percent of men. When looking at men
and women aged 25 to 34, the gender gap widens, with women ahead by a margin of
about 10 percent.” (StatsCan, 2013). This gap is not surprising to me, but even
with advanced degrees women are still in gender-stereotyped roles, as are men;
there are more female teachers, nurses and administrative assistants, while
more men are in fields of mechanics, and business. How can we encourage female,
and male, students to go outside their thought processes of “girls are
teachers, boys are doctors” as they grow?
This gender gap may prevent some women from achieving
their highest goals, and if that goal is to become a CIO (chief information
officer), then that ability to reach that goal does not seem very promising
based on research by Wayne Brown documented in In higher education, fewer women graduate to CIO. Brown states
that “the percentage of women chief information
officers (CIOs) in higher education has been on a slow but steady decline;
from 2008 to 2013, the percentage of female CIOs declined five percent, from
26% to 21%” (Brown, 2013). The research also shows that the decline may
be due to the mentoring of women going into, or already in the CIO roles. Men
and women learn and work differently, so to best equip each gender with the
tools they need to success, employers need to provide options that work best
for any individual, no matter the gender.
Although these articles mention the
closing of the gender gap, I can still see it alive and flourishing in higher
education. Take the educational leadership program for example; how many men do
you see in the program compared to women, and why? What would a MBA or MS in
Biology or Chemistry look like compared to our program or a nursing program? In
my position in the admissions office, I can imagine working with students each
day and compiling data about gender ratios at the university and looking at the
data and figuring out how to recruit both men and women to the school. How can
you think about the gender gap in your roles and school, work or even at home?
Brown, W. (2013, June 19). In higher education, fewer women graduate to CIO. In Information Week Education. http://www.informationweek.com/education/leadership/in-higher-education-fewer-women-graduate/240156884
Grove, J. (2013, June 13). Gender gap in number of
female professors. In Times Higher Education. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/gender-gap-in-number-of-female-professors/2004766.article
StatsCan. (2013, June 26). Women
close education gender gap. In CTV News. http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/women-close-education-gender-gap-statscan-survey-1.1342237
Very good articles Amanda. There is a gender gap in different disciplines. Usually, women are excluded from the important positions in the country and the reasons are not obvious for doing so. Are there certain fears that women will not be able to handle complicated issues as men do? The social background is still rooted in most of us that women are not able to do the job perfectly as men do. For women to get their respected value, there should be a dramatic change in the societal perspective. For instance, in the presidential elections when Hilary Clinton was supposed to be a candidate to be the first woman to lead the US, many doubted her ability to do so. Moreover, there were fears that the future of their country should not be decided by a woman. But when Mrs. Clinton was given the opportunity to be the Foreign Secretary of State, she proved her high abilities, cleverness and statesmanship in dealing with the most difficult issues related to the US foreign policy.
ReplyDeleteHow do you think the US will be if a woman rules in the future? I am very optimistic that she will be more efficient and qualified and even better in taking critical decisions that affect people's life and future. Women should be given the chance to prove themselves.
Your post and articles made me think of a variety of issues. First, I thought about the school district that I teach in. Women educators outnumber men drastically. Male custodians outnumber women drastically. Male administrators drastically outnumber females. We recently hired a new superintendent that is female. During the hiring process many teachers, both male and female, raised questions about whether a female could effectively lead our school district. Community members asked her questions about her husband and how much money he made during the interview process. I was surprised that so many people questioned her ability simply because she was a woman.
ReplyDeleteI believe the gender gap will close, but it isn’t going to happen overnight. Until society teaches both females and males that all individuals can truly be anything they want, it won’t happen. Perhaps when more and more people model behaviors that close the gender gap, society will grow more accepting of women and men taking on roles traditionally held by the opposite sex.