Goldenrod Editorial & Consulting, LLC’s Post

Gender and racial inequality persist in faculty hiring and promotion in higher education. Here's a helpful article that illustrates these continued challenges. While there are more women and people of color in tenure line positions than there were 7 years ago, white men are still promoted in larger numbers. These statistics are based on a report from the the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, that analyzed changes in faculty representation between the 2016–17 academic year and the 2022–23 academic year. See the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eM_szH8V Blacks represent a much smaller amount of full professors than other groups: "As of last academic year, 26 percent of tenure track faculty were people of color, up from 21 percent during the 2016–17 academic year. Most of that growth, however, came from hiring more Asian and Hispanic or Latinx faculty, according to the study. For instance, in 2017, roughly 9.7 percent of full professors were Asian, which increased to 12.8 percent by 2023. In contrast, the percentage of Black full professors has only increased from 3.3 percent to 3.5 percent in the same timeframe." People of color and women continue not to be promoted as much as men: "In 2022–23, 35 percent of assistant professors were people of color, and 53 percent were women. At the associate professor level, only 26 percent of faculty were people of color and only 47 percent are women. And at the highest rank of full professor, people of color represented 22 percent of faculty and women represented 36 percent." And the numbers of women and people of color in non-TT positions increased: "Women also made up the majority (58 percent) of non–tenure track faculty in 2023, a 2.5 percent increase since the 2016–17 academic year. Faculty of color in those positions increased 24 percent from 2016–17 to 2022–23, making up 22 percent of non–tenure track faculty." This report and others like it highlight the continued structural work that higher ed needs to do to create more equitable representation across groups. #highered #discrimination

"The authors also looked at how faculty members’ h-index scores, a common measure of the reach of their research and their research productivity, factored into promotion and tenure decisions for underrepresented minority versus white and Asian faculty. They concluded that the underrepresented minority are “held to a higher standard … in terms of scholarly productivity.” They said this is especially the case for underrepresented minorities who are also women." #faculty #academy #tenure #promotion #research #bias https://lnkd.in/eKB9Riv6

Important considerations…

Where Are Our Amazing Women in Leadership? At UC Irvine's Department of Medicine, women make up 47% of the workforce, yet I stand as the only female division chief and currently serve as the first-ever female chair. It begs the question: Where are the women in leadership positions? Did you know? Since the 1970s, girls have outnumbered boys in Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) programs. 70% of all high school valedictorians are women. Women have outpaced men in college admissions since 1979. Women lead in college and graduate enrollment, as well as graduation rates. In 2016, women surpassed men in law school admissions. In 2017, women outnumbered men in medical school admissions. Despite these accomplishments, the path to leadership is still not equally paved for women. Many believe that achieving gender balance in a field will solve issues of gender bias. But the truth is, gender bias persists, even as the number of women increases. Why? Because bias is deeply embedded in the systems and structures that still disproportionately benefit men. So, how do we elevate equity for women? At UC Irvine, we are making great strides toward advancing women in medicine. But we must keep pushing the envelope to ensure true equality, where women don’t just enter the field but lead it. Stay tuned. Big things are coming.

An interesting article from Forbes yesterday, about a study in Hamilton College. Professors tested two different interventions to reduce gender bias in student evaluations of female faculty; but found neither effective. 🧪How did they try to reduce the bias? One approach involved informing students about unconscious bias and encouraging structured feedback, while another delayed evaluations to reduce fatigue-related bias. 📣And what were the results? Despite their efforts, female professors continued to receive harsher evaluations than their male counterparts for similar behaviors, especially in grading and class management. The study highlights the persistence of gender bias and its challenges, not just in academia but across all industries where evaluations influence career outcomes. At KELLA, we recognise that this kind of bias affects women in all fields, at all stages. But it doesn't have to be that way! That's why we're committed to offering the support, mentorship, strategies and networks that women need to advance in their careers confidently and fairly. Together, we create impact. Want to find out more? Check us out at https://lnkd.in/ei-YT9jP – and join our waitlist now. 💫 Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/ePPmQrH3 ******** #supportingwomen #poweringimpact #executiveleadership #womeninleadership #forbes #forbesreport #HBR #businessreview #genderbias #genderstudy #empowerwomen #womenandgirls #womeninstem #womeninbusiness #careerladder #careersupport #careeradvice #network #expertinsights #executivegrowth #executivedevelopment

Despite gains made in the diversity among leaders in higher education, women and people of color are still underrepresented when it comes to tenure-track faculty. Women also made up 58% of non–tenure track faculty in the 2022-23 academic year, a 2.5% increase from the 2016–17 academic year. People of color in those positions increased 24% from 2016–17 to 2022–23, making up 22% of non–tenure track faculty. In the same year, the trend of women and people of color not being promoted to associate and full professors remained around the same. 35% of assistant professors were people of color and 53% were women. At the associate professor level, only 26% of faculty were people of color and only 47% were women. And at the highest rank of full professor, people of color represented 22% of faculty and women represented 36%. See more stats from the full study from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) https://lnkd.in/gkS-X__J #diversityinhighered #facultyrepresentation #tenuretrackdiversity #higheredleadership #highereducation #executivesearchfirm #recruiting #dei

Service slacking! An important conversation as institutions of higher education aim to regain their footing alongside significant post-COVID discipline specific workforce shortages. “Among many other tasks, advising, mentoring, committee service, faculty and student recruiting, and showing up at events sit at the core of university life and student success. Yet they are not treated as such in institutional reward systems like tenure, promotion, merit raises and reassigned time.” #workforcedevelopment #economicdevelopment #equity #highereducation #workplacewellbeing

"Creating an inclusive community for BIPOC faculty: women of color in academia" Hemos leído tanto, vemos que se financian tantos estudios -a los que normalmente no somos invitadas- y que se pone en práctica tan poco. Diría y esperaría equivocarme en las proyecciones de futuro, que en este sentido la industria cultural, los medios y los museos le toman ventaja a una academia que se resiste a renovar sus criterios, o que los renueva para seguir igual. Keywords: Women of color, BIPOC faculty, Inequities, Academic, Support Phoebe S. Lin1 and Lynne N. Kennette2 https://lnkd.in/eK_943rX Abstract Institutions of higher education are increasingly diverse with more women and people of color hired, but there remains much work to be done to ensure that underrepresented faculty feel supported in their careers, evaluated fairly for tenure and/or promotion, and made to feel appreciated and valued in their institutions. This perspective paper will review how interpersonal and institutional prejudice disadvantage women of color in academia in aspects of their professional responsibilities including teaching, mentoring students, research, and service. The combination of these challenges explains why women of color are not rewarded in the same way and do not advance as quickly in their academic careers compared to white men. After considering the subtle and direct ways that biases cause harm to women of color, we present recommendations to better support women of color in faculty roles with the goal of combating prejudice pertaining to both racial/ethnic and gender biases.

Research on #Tenure in #HigherEd and #Academia. No real surprise but disappointing: #AcademicLife echoes real life in that women, and women of color, need to outperform others to be perceived as doing equally well. Other stats I've read: 1)When women talk >30% of the time in a meeting with men, the men report that women were talking the majority of the time (meaning >50% of the time--because it's not the norm, for myriad reasons). 2) In business, women who say they are "ambitious" and ask about promotions, what skills they need to add to move to the next job level, etc. are perceived by managers/supervisors negatively. Yet if they make the same requests to "help their team," they are not viewed negatively. Yet men making the same requests are viewed positively as "go-getters." One step in the right direction: more women, women of color, and people who are nonbinary in positions of leadership and power! Diverse teams are known to function better and be more creative at solving problems.

We are at the height of P&T season and committees are being charged. How are we as academic leaders helping our committees understand that we all have implicit biases? And how to remove them from our reviews? We need a lot of educated people to address the challenges of the future. And for that to happen, we need a lot of educators. And from all perspectives. #promotionandtenure #diversifyingacademia