Dive Brief:
- The London School of Economics and Political Science revisits a 2013 global study on female representation in faculty, and draws out a new case study on Polish art students which are more than 75% women, but just over 35% in female faculty teaching in the discipline.
- The report highlights professional priorities among women are higher in relation to decent pay, professional development opportunities and time for family. But by the end of their academic careers, women are less optimistic about teaching than their male counterparts.
- Women in the survey reported being more likely then men to hear disparaging comments about physical appearance, and fewer encouraging remarks from faculty about professional development or academic performance. Females were also 7% less likely to receive guidance on internship opportunities.
Dive Insight:
The subject of representation in faculty and student bodies on any campus is more than a conversation about tolerance and diversity, but is at the heart of surveys like this one that show the industrial impact of diversity. With fewer faculty members to offer the nurturing, or the example of how to learn and navigate within a field of study, it is difficult to prevent industry itself from becoming racially or gender homogenized.
Colleges and universities can take lessons from the University of California law school in the conscience promotion of equity and representation, as a model for how executive influence can create and support diversity in a variety of forms, in order to build stronger recruiting and professional development pipelines. Conscious recruiting of women, and pairing them with academic and professional mentors, are among the best ways to encourage completion, and boost recruitment outcomes for the future.