Gender Diversity in Academia: An encouraging picture in Irish universities?
In my circles, gender equality at work has been a heated topic for a few years now. Most of those who I heard/read comment on the issue are critical of universities' organizational culture and practices as discriminating against women or putting them in disadvantage in regards to promotions and recognition of achievements. These discussions have been taking place in various contexts, including in the context of Irish universities and my own: UCD (largest university in Ireland).
While there is a reasonable consensus that we haven't achieved a full gender equality in academia yet, is there a place to be optimistic and to also look at the major changes, especially relative to the time frame (given that academia has been around for over a thousand years, in this or other form), that have been made in this area, at least in Ireland?
Trinity College Dublin (TCD), the oldest and most known Irish university, has recently elected, for the first time in its long history, a woman to head it (see article below). Of the 10 Irish universities, 4 will be now lead by women, a remarkable 40% of female leadership, which can be hardly seen in any other countries.
In my own university, UCD, current gender stats are also encouraging. Two of the four Vice President's are women (Global Engagement and Research, Innovation and Impact) and of the six College Principles (highest college leader position), 50% are women. In total, 42% of the University Management Team (the senior leadership of UCD) is female, which is remarkable.
The essay piece I linked below brings up several interesting, less numerically visible points, such as discussing the issue of having relatively few university leaders coming from 'traditionally female dominant' areas and disciplines (humanities and social sciences). This last point, which queries university culture at a deeper level, resonates with me: it occurred to me that, in many ways, if you remove my first name and photo from my CV (or LinkedIn profile) and look at my career choices, they look, to a large degree, as more typically female. Thus, while gender equality in organizations in general and, in academia specifically, is an aim we should continue to work towards, I suggest that it is high time to start looking 'under the hood' and pay more attention to the texture and qualities of our work choices, as professionals and leaders.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of this!
Asst.Prof. Biologist, Environmentalist, former Prog.Manager,International Relations Office,TISS
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