GENDER EQUITY AT TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

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GENDER EQUITY AT TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY

• REPORT OF THE TTU GENDER ISSUES COMMITTEE
• APRIL 2004

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COMMITTEE CHARGE

• To analyze the interaction between gender and the
  Texas Tech University environment for students,
  faculty and staff,
• To make recommendations for changes or additions
  to existing policies through the appropriate vice
  president or provost,
• To ensure that all policies and procedures are
  fair and in accordance with state and federal
  law,
• To assure that Texas Tech University is gender-
  and family-friendly, with the goal of attracting
  and retaining a qualified, diverse workforce and
  student body.

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REPORT CONTENTS

• HIRING AND SALARY ISSUES FOR FACULTY AND STAFF,
• CLIMATE ISSUES FOR GENDER AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION
  FOR FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS, AND
• POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

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DATA SOURCES

• Dowling Report on Salary Equity at TTU. 2002
• Student, Staff, and Faculty Perceptions of Campus
  Climate at Texas Tech University A Report
  Prepared for the Diversity Strategic Planning
  Committee and StudentFIRST Committee.
• Brian Cannon
• Office of Institutional Research. 2002
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Faculty
  and Staff and Student Focus Group Analysis.
• Stacey Moore, Karen Meaney
• Womens Studies Exit Interview Analysis.
• Marjean Purinton

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DATA SOURCES

• Report of the Texas Tech Child Care Exploratory
  Committee.
• Annual Report. Athletic Councils Standing
  Committee on Equity.

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Salary Analysis

• Women faculty make less than men at all academic
  ranks.
• Women staff make less than male staff, in all but
  one job category.

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WOMEN STAFFS AVERAGE SALARIES ARE LOWER THAN
MENS
1Technical/Paraprofessional 2Clerical/Secretaria
l 3Skilled Crafts 4Service/Maintenance 5Other
Professionals 6Executive/Managerial
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GENERALLY, THE HIGHER THE FACULTY RANK, THE
LARGER THE GENDER GAP
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WHY DO W0MEN MAKE LESS MONEY?

• Women are clustered in lower academic ranks.
• Women are underrepresented in administrative
  positions.
• Women are underrepresented in higher paid
  disciplines.
• Gender Bias?

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WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO BE IN LOWER ACADEMIC
RANKS.
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THERE ARE FEW WOMEN AT THE LEVEL OF DEAN-ASST OR
ASSOC.
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AND FEWER FEMALE DEPT. CHAIRS
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WOMEN ARE NOT EVENLY REPRESENTED IN ALL COLLEGES
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HIGHER NUMBERS OF WOMEN LOWER SALARIES
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CLASSROOM CLIMATE

• FEMALE STUDENTS THRIVE WHERE THERE ARE LARGER
  NUMBERS OF FEMALES.

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FEMALE STUDENTS AND FACULTY IN COLLEGES
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GENDER BIAS?

• There are cases where women, even within
  disciplines and within rank, and after
  controlling for time in grade, made less than
  would be predicted.
• Could be explained by merit.
• Could be explained by gender bias.

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CLIMATE

• FEMALE FACULTY ARE MORE LIKELY TO REPORT
  OBSERVING AND EXPERIENCING PREJUDICIAL REMARKS
  TOWARD FACULTY BASED ON RACE, AGE, GENDER,
  RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR
  DISABILITY THAN MEN.

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HAVE YOU OBSERVED PREJUDICIAL REMARKS?
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HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED PREJUDICIAL REMARKS?
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WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS EXPRESSED BY WOMEN
FACULTY?

• An analysis of exit interviews has shown problems
  experienced by female faculty.

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Lack of resources

• low salaries,
• high teaching loads,
• and inadequate research or travel resources

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SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• being given heavy responsibilities, such as
  supervising teaching assistants early in their
  careers, which puts tenure and promotion in
  jeopardy

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INADEQUATE COMMUNITY AND FAMILY SUPPORTS

• lack of good quality child care,
• ambivalent maternity and family leave policies,
  and
• inadequate opportunities for spousal employment.

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COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

• BASED ON THESE FINDINGS THE COMMITTEE MADE THE
  FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGE

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ESTABLISH FACULTY MENTORING PROGRAMS

• Faculty mentoring programs, such as the one in
  the College of Arts and Sciences, are useful in
  helping women to prepare for tenure by helping
  them to understand and reach university
  expectations

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INVESTIGATE SALARIES OF UNDERPAID WOMEN

• Investigate the salaries of women paid more than
  one standard deviation lower than expected for
  their time at Texas Tech.

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HIRE MORE WOMEN, ESPECIALLY IN UNDERUTILIZED
POSITIONS

• Departments and academic units should be
  encouraged to fill underutilized positions in
  order to achieve gender balance in faculty
  representation.
• (Based on a nation-wide number of graduates each
  year, EEO establishes underutilized positions.)

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EQUALIZE SALARIES AMONG THE DISCIPLINES

• Differences in salaries by gender should be
  reduced by equalizing the salaries of male and
  female dominated specialties.

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RECRUIT WOMEN TO ADMINISTRATIVE POSITIONS

• Our analysis has found a lack of women in
  administrative positions in most disciplines and
  at most levels of the university.

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FOLLOW AAUP POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

• Provide a family friendly work environment by
  implementing the AAUP recommendations for the
  academic work place.
• www.aaup.org/Issues/FamilyWork/Policy/policy.htm

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RECOGNIZE PAID FAMILY LEAVE

• Paid leaves should be provided for pregnancy,
  family care, and emergencies with the option of
  longer-term unpaid leaves depending upon the
  circumstances.

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STOP THE TENURE CLOCK

• Make provisions for stopping the tenure clock in
  case of family needs, such as the birth of a
  child.

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INSTITUTE REDUCED WORK LOAD

• Allow faculty to substitute family leave with a
  status of active service with modified duties.

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CREATE FLEXIBLE WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Make it possible for employees to adjust work
  schedule and work setting to meet family needs.

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USE BENEFITS WITHOUT PREJUDICE

• Establish clear expectations that any employee
  taking advantage of these programs can do so
  without prejudice.

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ESTABLISH A CHILD CARE CENTER

• Follow up on the recommendation of the TTU Child
  Care Exploratory Committee and provide the
  financial resources to establish a university
  child care center.

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PROVIDE PARTNER BENEFITS

• Provide for partner benefits for LGBT members of
  the university community.

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CLIMATE ISSUES

• SPECIAL ISSUES OF CONCERN
• Climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
  members of the university community
• Climate for gender equity in sports for women

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SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND CLIMATE

• Problems feeling safe and accepted on the TTU
  Campus.
• Problems in the academic setting.
• Problems in other university settings.

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FOCUS GROUPS

• Focus group participants requested that
• The university improve education about LGBT
  issues,
• bring more visibility to LGBT issues and
• create a resource center for LGBT members of the
  university community

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RECOMMENDATION

• Include sexual orientation in the
  antidiscrimination statement
• Included in the policies of most Big XII schools.
• Necessary to promote tolerance on campus.

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GENDER EQUITY IN ATHLETICS

• Gender equity in athletics has declined in
  several areas since 1995.
• Coaches salaries
• Game-day expenses
• Number of women participants
• Follow recommendations of committee on equity and
  gender in athletics

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CONCLUSION

• Hire more women. Women are underrepresented,
  especially in higher paid specialties.
• Recruit more women for administrative positions.
• Equalize salaries among disciplines.
• Investigate individual salary inequities.
• Implement family-friendly policies. This includes
  accepting and supporting all types of families.

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CONCLUSION

• Create and support a climate that is unbiased for
  all its members, including clearly communicating
  that discrimination against any group will not be
  tolerated.
• Follow up is critical.