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28% of Women in Academia Say Gender Limits Their Advancement
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28% of Women in Academia Say Gender Limits Their Advancement

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About three in 10 female U.S. faculty and staff members, 28%, compared with 11% of their male counterparts, report feeling they were passed over for a promotion or opportunity at work because of their gender. This is approximately double the national average of 15% among working women in general that ºÚÁÏÍø reported the last time it asked this question in 2013.

Percentages of Higher Ed Faculty and Staff Who Have Felt Passed Over for a Promotion, by Gender
Have you ever felt you were passed over for a promotion or opportunity at work because of your gender, or not?
Female faculty and staff Male faculty and staff
% %
Yes, passed over 28 11
No, not passed over 72 89
Oct. 5-29, 2021
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Results for this research are based on interviews ºÚÁÏÍø conducted in October 2021 with 10,594 faculty and staff members nationally, currently teaching at Title IV degree-granting, two- and four-year colleges and universities.

Hispanic, Asian Female Faculty and Staff Most Likely to Feel Passed Over

Hispanic and Asian female faculty and staff are somewhat more likely than their peers to feel passed over for a promotion because of their gender, underscoring the impact of the intersectionality of race and gender for these faculty and staff members. While 28% of White female faculty and staff members report they have been passed over due to their gender, 33% of Hispanic and 30% of Asian female faculty and staff say the same. However, Black female faculty and staff are the least likely of these racial/gender groups to report this sentiment, with 24% feeling they have been passed over because of their gender.

Percentages of Higher Ed Female Faculty and Staff Who Have Felt Passed Over for a Promotion, by Role and Race/Ethnicity
Have you ever felt you were passed over for a promotion or opportunity at work because of your gender, or not?
Yes, passed over
%
All female faculty and staff 28
Female faculty 29
Female staff 27
White female faculty and staff 28
Black female faculty and staff 24
Hispanic female faculty and staff 33
Asian female faculty and staff 30
Oct. 5-29, 2021
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Female Faculty and Staff Report Fewer Advancement Opportunities

Relatedly, female faculty and staff are less likely than male faculty and staff to say they have the same opportunities for advancement at their institution. Twenty-three percent of female faculty and staff strongly agree they have the same opportunities for advancement as other employees with similar experience and performance levels, compared with 32% of male faculty and staff.

Perceived Opportunities for Advancement Among Higher Ed Faculty and Staff, by Gender
I have the same opportunities for advancement as other employees at my institution with similar experience and performance levels.
Female faculty and staff Male faculty and staff
% %
Strongly agree 23 32
4 27 30
3 20 17
2 14 11
Strongly disagree 15 11
Oct. 5-29, 2021
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Black, Asian and Hispanic female faculty and staff are less likely than their White female peers to strongly agree they have the same opportunities for advancement as other employees at their institution. Just 15% of Black, 16% of Asian and 18% of Hispanic female faculty and staff strongly agree that these opportunities are available, compared with 25% of White female faculty and staff.

Perceived Opportunities for Advancement Among Higher Ed Faculty and Staff, by Gender, Role and Race/Ethnicity
I have the same opportunities for advancement as other employees at my institution with similar experience and performance levels.
Strongly agree
%
All female faculty and staff 23
All male faculty and staff 32
Female faculty 25
Male faculty 32
Female staff 21
Male staff 32
White female faculty and staff 25
White male faculty and staff 33
Black female faculty and staff 15
Black male faculty and staff 22
Hispanic female faculty and staff 18
Hispanic male faculty and staff 24
Asian female faculty and staff 16
Asian male faculty and staff 27
Oct. 5-29, 2021
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Female Faculty and Staff Less Likely to Feel Paid Fairly for Their Work

About a third of female faculty and staff (35%) agree or strongly agree they are paid fairly for the work they do, compared with about half of male faculty and staff (47%). Rates are similar among female faculty and staff of different racial/ethnic groups.

Perceptions of Fair Pay Among Higher Ed Faculty and Staff, by Gender
I am paid fairly for the work I do.
Female faculty and staff Male faculty and staff
% %
Strongly agree 12 18
4 23 29
3 21 20
2 19 16
Strongly disagree 25 17
Oct. 5-29, 2021
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Implications

COVID-19 has affected all workers, but women to a far greater extent. Working women have experienced than their male colleagues (even when controlling for having children at home), and women are at a staggering rate compared with their male peers. A series of policy changes are required to ensure employers give women a reason to stay -- and to return. Among them is access to in-demand remote and and flexible work schedules that provide all women, particularly working mothers, with a chance to balance work and personal responsibilities. But these policy changes will merely be window dressing if the workplaces women are considering are riddled with inequity and appear to favor their male colleagues.

The 28% of women working in higher education who feel they have been passed over because of their gender is a call to action for higher ed institutions that have been silent on pay and advancement equity. It is more important than ever before that these institutions commit to creating an equitable and inclusive workplace. There are many factors pushing women from the workforce -- the promise of an inclusive workplace is an important way to pull them back toward it.

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Author(s)

Stephanie Marken is Executive Director of Education Research at ºÚÁÏÍø.


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