Sex comparisons among science faculty at Hunter College

1
Sex comparisons among science faculty at
Hunter College
Department perceptions, social networks, and
procedural knowledge

• Hunter College Gender Equity Project
• Provosts Office
• 2007 Science Faculty Survey

2
Background

• Hunter does well in gender equity with respect to
  major outcomes
• Female and male faculty in the sciences fare
  similarly in
• salary
• tenure and promotion
• awarding of distinguished professorships and
  named chairs

3
Background

• But outcome fairness is not the primary predictor
  of how people perceive fairness overall in their
  institutions
• Two other types of fairness play more important
  roles
• interactional fairness1 how respectfully people
  are treated on a day-to-day basis
• procedural fairness2 clear and well-justified
  policies

1. Bies, R.J. Shapiro, D.L. (1988).
Interactional fairness judgments The influence
of causal accounts. Social Justice Research,
1(2), 199-218 2. Lind, E.A Tyler, T.R. (1988).
The social psychology of procedural justice. NY
Plenum
4
Purpose of Science Faculty Survey

• Examine subtle measures of interactional and
  procedural fairness
• college life
• department life
• professional networks
• resource allocation and responsibility

5
Demographics

• 52 of science faculty completed the consent form
  (101/195)
• 46 of science faculty provided information about
  their sex (89/195)
• 49 of science faculty who responded were women
  (38/77) and 35 were men (41/118)

6
Demographics (Cont.)
Biology Chemistry Computer Sci. Geography Math
Stat. Physics Astro
Anthropology Economics Political Sci. Psychology
Sociology
7
Results

• College Life
• Department Life
• Professional Networks
• Resource Allocation and Responsibility

8
College Life Importance of teaching
9
College Life Importance of research
10
College Life Importance of committee work
11
College Life

• Male and female science faculty
• equally find a great deal of personal meaning in
  their work
• Women4.72 (.44) Men4.62 (.50)
• are equally identified with Hunter College
• Women3.52 (.94) Men3.86 (.85)

1 Strongly Disagree 3 Neutral 5 Strongly
Agree
12
College Life

• Male and female science faculty have
• similar judgments about their
• ability to spend enough time on the aspects of
  work that they find most important
• Women2.63 (.98) Men2.68 (1.02)
• satisfaction with the Offices of Facilities
  Management Planning
• Women2.89 (.85) Men3.18 (.80)

1 Strongly Disagree 3 Neutral 5 Strongly
Agree
13
College Life Satisfaction with tenure and
promotion
t(1,66) 2.29, p 0.03
Example I receive/d enough feedback on my
progress toward tenure/promotion.
14
College Life Job Satisfaction
t(1,75) 1.84, p 0.07
Example Generally speaking, I am very satisfied
with my current job.
15
College Life Summary

• Compared to men, women are less
• satisfied with tenure and promotion processes
• satisfied with their jobs

16
Department Life

• Male and female science faculty
• are similarly neutral about their department
  chairs
• Women 2.89 (.85) Men 3.18 (.80)
• equally report feeling respected in department
  meetings
• Women 3.74 (.70) Men 3.93 (.44)
• report having similar influence over what happens
  in their departments
• Women 3.28 (.73) Men 3.22 (.85)

1 Strongly Disagree 3 Neutral 5 Strongly
Agree
17
Department Life Inclusion Belonging
t(1,69) 2.89, p
Example I feel like I fit in my department.
18
Department Life Collegiality
t(1,76) 3.10, p
Example Communication is good among the people
in my department.
19
Department Life Support
t(1,69) 1.78, p 0.08
Example There are people in your department who
have used influence to support your advancement.
20
Department Life Evaluation of Department Staff
t (1,67) 3.14, p
Example When I make a request it is completed in
full.
21
Department Life Summary

• Men report more and women report less
• sense of inclusion and belonging
• collegiality
• support from colleagues
• satisfaction with department staff

22
Professional NetworksTalk to chairs

• 72 of men and 84 of women report talking
  almost never about teaching
• 75 of men and 82 of women report talking
  almost never about research
• 92 of men and 95 of women report talking
  almost never about tenure and promotion

23
Professional NetworksTalk to faculty outside
Hunter College

• 39 of men and 35 of women report talking at
  least once a week about research
• 65 of men and 73 of women report talking
  almost never about teaching
• 89 of men and 95 of women report talking
  almost never about tenure and promotion

24
Professional NetworksTalk to undergraduate
students

• 45 of men and 49 of women report talking at
  least once a week about teaching
• 56 of men and 41 of women report talking at
  least once a week about research

25
Professional NetworksHow often do you talk
about teaching with Hunter faculty?
?2 11.43, p 26
Professional NetworksHow often do you talk
about research with Hunter faculty?
?2 5.21, p 0.07
27
Professional Networks

• Collaborate on grants or research with chairs
• 66 of men and 80 of women report having never
  been asked by their chair to collaborate
• 91 of men and 90 of women report never asking
  their chair to collaborate
• Collaborate on grants and research with
  colleagues
• 61 of men and 56 of women report having been
  asked to collaborate with colleagues more than
  once
• 39 of men and 53 of women report having asked
  colleagues to collaborate more than once

28
Professional NetworksHow much recognition do
you get for teaching?
29
Professional NetworksHow much recognition do
you get for research?
30
Professional NetworksHow much recognition do
you get for committee work?
31
Professional Networks Summary

• Compared to men, women
• talk about teaching and research with colleagues
  less often
• equally ask and are asked to collaborate on
  grants and research with chairs and colleagues
• report less recognition for teaching, research
  and committee work

32
Resource Allocation and Responsibility
33
Resource Allocation and Responsibility
34
Rules and Procedures Summary

• Men and women are equally satisfied with the
  office and lab space they receive and are equally
  dissatisfied with the amount of TAs and course
  load they receive
• Rules and procedures for distributing resources
  and responsibilities in departments are more
  transparent to men than to women

35
Overall SummaryAreas of equal satisfaction

• Male and female science faculty equally
• find teaching, research and committee work to be
  important
• find a great deal of personal meaning in their
  work
• identify with Hunter College
• feel respected in department meetings
• influence what happens in their departments
• ask and are asked to collaborate on grants and
  research with chairs and colleagues

36
Overall SummaryAreas of unequal satisfaction

• Compared to men, women
• are less satisfied with tenure and promotion
• are less satisfied with their jobs in general
• report less inclusion, collegiality, and support
  in their departments
• have less discussion with Hunter faculty about
  teaching, research, and committee work
• report less recognition for teaching, research,
  and committee work

37
Recommendations

• Administrators, chairs, and senior faculty
• should
• solicit and listen equally to everyones views
  and opinions
• create settings that encourage colleagues and
  department chairs to interact with each other
• justify, clarify, and codify department rules and
  procedures for the distribution of resources and
  responsibilities
• nominate faculty for awards and prizes and
  publicize faculty achievements

38
Soliciting views and opinions

• At all meetings, make sure that all ideas
• are solicited and are equally carefully
• considered
• circulate agendas before department meetings and
  ask faculty for additions
• consider having facilitators, on a rotating
  basis, to ensure that all voices are heard
• if someone tries to express an idea in a meeting
  and is interrupted or ignored, make sure that
  that persons opinion is given time

39
Create opportunities for professional networks

• Hold brown bags and luncheons in which faculty
  can discuss their research, teaching, and service
• Assign space so that faculty with similar
  interests can easily interact
• Have a chair or a senior colleague reach out to
  faculty who seem alienated or marginalized

40
Why it matters

• People need the components of interactional
  fairness
• a sense of inclusion
• influence
• a voice which is heard
• People perceive organizations to be more fair
  when the components of interactional fairness are
  in place

41
Clarify rules and procedures

• Spell out policies and procedures in clear,
  unambiguous terms
• Chairs, senior faculty, and administrators should
  be approachable, available, and willing to answer
  questions about policies and procedures
• Create and distribute specific written guidelines
  to all faculty regarding tenure and promotion and
  rules and procedures for distributing resources
  and responsibilities

42
Why it matters

• People need the components of procedural fairness
• knowledge about how resources and
  responsibilities are distributed and the
  justifications
• knowledge about how the tenure and promotion
  process works and the justifications

43
Awards and achievements

• Nominate faculty for awards and prizes
• Publicize faculty awards, prizes, grants, and
  other achievements
• to other faculty within department
• to dean, provost, and president

44
Why it matters

• Recognition by colleagues improves
• individuals' attachment to institution

45

• End