The Great Barrier Myth:

1
The Great Barrier Myth An investigation of
promotions policy and practice in Australian
universities
Ms Shard Lorenzo Director Human
Resources University of South Australia
CRICOS Provider Number 00121B
2
AVCC Action Plan for Women in Australian
universities 1999 - 2003

• Objective 2
• To develop strategies based on research for
  overcoming barriers to gender equity for
  university staff

3
AVCC Action Plan Performance Measures

• 1(a) The percentage of women staff at level D and
  above by gender
• 1(b) The ratio of the percentage of academic
  staff at level D and above who are women to the
  corresponding percentage of all academic staff
  who are women

4
AVCC Action Plan for Women Ratio of Female
Academic Staff (Level D and Above) to All Female
Academic Staff
5
Literature review factors affecting
representation of women

• Academic merit
• Uninterrupted career path
• Research/promotion nexus
• Overseas experience
• Teaching focus
• Career paths
• Late starts
• Breaks
• Part-time
• Culture and structure
• Management experience
• Service criteria - opportunity
• Masculine individualism and self-interest
• Reticence of women
• Critical mass
• Role models

6
Research questions

• What elements of policy affect the promotion of
  women?
• Do university promotion policies and procedures
  contain any provisions that act as barriers to
  the promotion of women?
• What should be included in a policy designed to
  progress the AVCC Action Plan?
• Is the under-representation of women in
  Australian universities a result of the policies?
• How can policies and practice be improved?

7
16 components of promotions policy

• Frequency of promotions round
• Levels
• Eligibility (part-time)
• Minimum service requirement
• Re-application
• Flexibility re doctoral qualification
• Criteria
• Teaching only

• Non traditional careers
• Equity statement in policy
• Feedback
• Appeals
• Training
• Composition
• EEO or HR involvement
• Centralised or devolved

8
Policy and practice findings

• Policy analysis
• (33 universities)
• 73 provide for part-time staff to apply for
  promotion
• 45.5 address non-traditional career paths
• 45.5 have a clear equity statement in the policy
• 67 do not mention training of committee members
• 82 refer to gender balance of committees
• 58 refer to EEO/HR presence
• Level E promotion is not universally available

• Interviews
• (17 universities)
• most interviewees expressed the view that their
  university has in place good policies which are
  seen as fair
• 12 have formal procedure for out-of-round
  promotions
• Not one woman has been promoted out-of-round.
• 29 have KPI for percentage of women in senior
  positions
• 94 have special initiatives specifically for
  women
• research is being valued more highly in some
  areas

9
Essential components of promotions policy

• Eligibility for part-time staff to apply for
  promotion (Recommendation 4)
• Flexibility in criteria for promotion
  (Recommendation 5)
• Explicit mention of non-traditional careers
  (Recommendation 6)
• Clear equity statement within the policy or
  guidelines (Recommendation 7)
• Training for committee members (Recommendation 8)
• Specified gender representation in the
  composition of the promotions committee
  (Recommendation 9)
• Monitoring, reviewing and reporting by EEO or HR
  representatives with an equity brief
  (Recommendation 10)

10
(Advancing the AVCC Action Plan for Women
Cross-Institution comparisons based on 2004 DEST
data, QUT, May 2005)Variation between 30-50
couple of outliers
11
The DEST dataPercentage of women academics by
level
12
(No Transcript)
13
National data on womens representation

• Women are close to gender parity at Levels A and
  B
• Women are increasing most rapidly at Level C
• Women are still severely under-represented at
  Levels D and E
• The barrier for women is moving from Level C to D
• We have a cohort of women at Level C who are
  just not moving through

14
Applications and Promotions 2000 2002 by Level
and Gender
15
Broad level strategies to assist the promotion of
academic women

• Policy level
• Support level
• Cultural/organisational level

16
Initiatives and strategies that focus on good
practice

• Career planning and mentoring
• Workshops for women on applying for academic
  promotion, assistance with applications, mock
  interviews, examples of good applications, case
  studies of previous applicants
• Executive leadership strategies including
• Special sessions for women hosted by the VC
• Senior management writing to Heads of Schools
  asking them to encourage women to apply for
  promotion
• PVC identifying women who should be encouraged,
  nurtured, and mentored, and inviting all eligible
  women to apply for promotion toLevel E
• DVC communicating to Heads of Schools to
  encourage improvement of gender profile and
  linking outcomes to annual performance review
• Writing and speaking individually to women to
  overcome reticence
• Committee on barriers to promotion for women
  applying for Level E
• Academic staff portfolios as part of the
  performance management process

17
Examples of good practice

• Accepting applications for promotion at any time
  throughout the year, with the committee meeting
  monthly
• Counter officer policies to ensure transparency
  in decision-making for all promotions
• Progression from associate lecturer to lecturer
  via a decentralised broad-band process
• EEO observers on all panels

18
Recommendations

• That all universities include in promotions
  policies and/or guidelines
• clear procedures and recording requirements for
  out-of-round promotions
• opportunities for promotion to all levels,
  including Level E
• explicit mention of promotion opportunities for
  part-time staff and how their applications will
  be assessed
• flexibility in promotions criteria, perhaps by
  use of a weighting system whereby a staff member
  may nominate weightings

19
Recommendations (contd)

• directions for assessing non-traditional careers
  relative to opportunity
• a clear equity statement
• a requirement that committee chairs and members
  complete training on gender equity prior to the
  first meeting of the committee
• an appropriate ratio of gender representation on
  promotions committees
• a requirement that an EEO representative or
  person with an equity brief be involved to
  monitor the process and the results to ensure
  cultural and equity issues are addressed

20
Recommendations (contd)

• That all universities
• consider instituting a simplified process for
  promotion from Level A to Level B
• adopt a KPI for women in senior positions
• implement special initiatives to encourage and
  assist women applicants

21
An HR representative suggested that there was
still a lot of work to be done around

• measures and goalposts and making sure those
  goalposts arent ones that just suit traditional
  male career paths and male opportunities and male
  work patterns. But then there are a lot of other
  things in the academic culture and environment
  that we do need to change as well. we have to
  take into account and decide through guidelines
  how to construct an academic culture that will
  allow everybody to succeed.