Gender equity remains a dream

Are women choosing non-traditional subjects at university level? Do they have the same career development opportunities as men? Focusing on access, curriculum transformation and staff development in higher education, new research in five higher education institutes in South Africa, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda finds that gender inequity still prevails.

The study explores how far gender equity is promoted or inhibited in these countries which have national policies on gender equity and are committed to international policies to end discrimination against women. The five institutions too have organisational policies and practices in place for gender mainstreaming, curriculum innovation and affirmative action. They also encourage women into non-traditional subjects such as Engineering.

The research concentrates on three areas: national and international policy, the organisational level, and individual interpersonal and social relations. It finds that the environment is highly-gendered and impedes women’s development as students and staff. This affects students’ learning environment and women staff’s academic identities.

Further findings include:

• Gender influences who studies which academic subjects, who receives more pedagogical attention as students, who has more opportunities for professional development and international networking and also affects crucial matters of personal safety on campus.
• Even when there are strong policy commitments, gendered differences are reinforced informally for students and staff via social practices.
• Gender mainstreaming is a term that is widely used but not fully understood as a concept and process.
• Gender has a significant impact on academic and professional identities, as women students and staff are perceived as having less intellectual authority than their male counterparts.
• Gendered power relations influence women’s everyday experiences of higher education.
  Men dominate knowledge production, decision-making processes, and research opportunities.

Gender inequity still prevails despite national and institutional support for equality

Feminist activities and groups inside and outside universities play a major part in promoting change. This is particularly effective when there are partnerships between gender organisations in wider civil society and feminist groups within universities - for example, when female academics from science and technology disciplines visit local communities and schools to discuss study opportunities with young women.

A range of other approaches too are suggested that could help bring about increased gender equity, including:

• adopting national implementation strategies for gender equity such as with targets, evaluation procedures and regular monitoring
• developing and supporting affirmative action programmes such as women-only management development programmes
• funding women to participate in international networks, seminars and conferences
• conducting organisational gender audits, with gender mainstreamed into strategic management plans
• ensuring effective institutional responses to discrimination such as codes of practice and disciplinary measures
• encouraging women to attend staff development programmes and women’s studies courses.

Louise Morley
Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research (CHEER), School of Education, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QQ, UK
T +44 1273 876700
l.morley@sussex.ac.uk