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 “Faculty members are the primary resource for meeting today’s escalating demands upon colleges and universities .”[1] Institutions of higher learning that address work-life concerns increase their ability to attract and retain the best faculty – men as well as women.
Attracting and retaining faculty is only possible if colleges and universities avoid the “chilly climate” that drives women out of their departments. A “chilly climate” often reflects gender bias, which imposes concrete costs on hard-pressed universities.
Eliminating gender bias is not just the right thing to do. It is the only cost-effective way to run an academic institution.
Retaining Talented Women Faculty is a Business Necessity in the Current Economic Environment
Sharply Declining Resources. Colleges and universities are in the midst of the perfect financial storm. Click here to learn more.
The High Costs of Attrition. The costs associated with unwanted attrition among faculty — male as well as female — are high. Click on each cost below to learn more:
How to Steal the Best Talent. Top-tier universities and colleges increasingly find themselves competing with lower ranked schools—and losing—as lower-ranked institutions use dual-career hiring policies to attract the most desirable candidates. Click here to learn more.
Half of the Current Tenured Faculty Will Consider Retirement within 10 Years. Currently, 50.5% of tenured faculty members are at least 55 years old.[9] A key question is whether the workforce hired to replace retiring faculty will reproduce the disproportionately low percentage of women and people of color in tenure-track positions.
Increasing Legal Liability for Employment Discrimination Claims. Employment discrimination cases are increasing, along with steep attorney’s fees, litigation expenses, and vulnerability to the loss of grant funding. Click here to learn more.
An Opportunity to Gain the Competitive Advantage
As a Talent Pool, Women Are an Undertapped Resource. Women today are earning nearly half of all doctorate degrees, yet they constitute only 31% of tenured faculty and 24% of senior faculty nationwide.[20] Click here to learn more.
Women Who Want Children and Marriage Face Particularly High Barriers. Fully 59% of married women with children are thinking of leaving academia, according to a 2000 survey of 800 postdoctoral fellows at U.C. Berkeley. This category of faculty “were far more likely than others to cite children as one of the reasons they changed their career goals away from academia, and they were the most likely to indicate that balancing career and family was a source of high stress for them.”[24] Click here to learn more.
Family-Unfriendly Institutions Will Fail to Retain Men As Well As Women. If academic institutions present a chilly climate for mothers, they often present a chilly climate for fathers. Click here to learn more.
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