I'm going to start this post off by stating two simple facts;
1. This thread actually is an extention of research I've done in th past month in US History, and namely, The Feminist Movement. I took the course, and though I wouldn't go as far as to say that I'm a full out feminist, I've learned much through the class, and would recommend such a class to anyone; man, woman, doesn't make a lick of difference to me.
2. Naturally, women are not the only people affected by this discrepancy we are about to explore today. This also affects minorities and other individuals hoping to climb the ranks of university teaching. However, the data I've complied affects women. If you'd like to your own search into the brash differences one can see in hiring minorities to university profession, I suggest that you look into the following website, and look up Diversity:
www.aacu.org/resources
The following post is meant merely to bring up discussion on the matter of tenure. It isn't to say that tenure is to be eliminated, but to only consider the modification of tenure, to better suit our colleges across the country. More info on the actual matter of Tenure may be found in an article written by Dan Clawson, titled "Tenure and the Future of the University. I suggest everyone read up on it, should you want to know more
Not only are teachers supposed to enrich the mind, and allow for growth amongst their students, but they are, to some extent, meant to provide a nurturing, guiding hand to the student in question. What better creature than that of woman, the provider of life, to maintain such a responsibility in society. Throughout society, women have been the ones to raise children, and provide them with many life lessons. And to some extent, women have taken a role within elementary and secondary education programs. Of the 6.2 million teachers in the United States, seventy one percent of them are women. Also, of the 3.1 million teachers that make their livings as the elementary and secondary level, seventy nine percent are women. Yet, this number only takes into account the teachers that work in these ranks, and when one looks out to the ranks of universities, one is bound to find that women make up a far smaller form of the population of professors. Whereas women make up the majority of the workforce at the elementary and secondary level, women are treated as somewhat of an afterthought in regards to attaining full professor status at universities. The numbers are radically inversed, with men making up the greater portion of the teaching ranks. Such is the case, even as women now make up fifty seven percent of undergraduate students, and a little more than fifty four percent of graduate students. With women now the majority of those reaching the university level, its become apparent that women are having difficulty attaining full professor status, and receiving the ability to advance their career into higher positions, such as Presidents of Universities, and Chief Academic Advisors. While women find themselves clotting positions in the lower ranks, yet when actually looking at the position of full professor, women only compose twenty five percent of the population of full time professors at Universities. As it stands, thirty percent of women professors are currently working off of the tenure track, as opposed to twenty percent of men. What is the reasoning behind womens inability to move past the low ranking positions at universities, such as instructors and lecturers, and gaining a stable position within the workforce in which theyve entered? What makes it so difficult for women to achieve tenure status, and why is it so likely to find teachers on the off-tenure track at universities? This research paper will analyze womens standing currently within the ranks of universities, at all different types of universities available, and will theorize exactly why women are placed in such a disadvantageous station in the ranks of college campuses in the United States.
Often, as it stands, the fact is that women find it extremely difficult to manage to life of a typical tenured professor, while also maintaining the typical issues predominantly found in the middle class home. Unfortunately, the ideal worker in the society in which we have developed seems to take none of these taxing issues with them into the workforce, and are usually confined to an either/or situation, which may call for them to compromise their hopes of becoming a full time professor. Even then, as some women reach the point of being full time professors, they find themselves still struggling to manages the hassles of the life at home, as well as take all of the hours possible for raising their children. Consequently, its far more likely to see women professors complain of matters such as work overload, childcare responsibilities, healthcare matters, and a lack of personal time. While there are certain things that can be done to appease such a situation for women, there are five things that can be done in this matter that was recommended by Gappa, Austin, and Trice. The first thing that the three state that they believe should occur to make the workplace more appealing for women is to offer equal treatment of employees within the system. Such things as an equal pay base should be offered, both for men and women alike in the education. Currently, within the education profession, women members of the faculty of college universities earn 82.6 percent of what male faculty earn, with the greatest gap at the full professor rank. The fact that women are placed into jobs with lower wages than their male counterparts, while doing an equal portion of the work, may prove as reasoning for women to not continue their studies, and allow themselves to continue in a doctorate program. Before any other of the inequalities that are met by women in the teaching profession is dealt with, this certain inequality must be rectified, and women must be afforded the same amount of pay as men.
One of the given reasonings as the why women are not attributed the same amount of pay within the teaching profession has to do with the often controversial of tenure. In 1997-98, 1382 individuals were hired into tenure track positions across the ten institutions. By 2004-05, 737 (53 percent) had achieved tenure. However, the tenure rates for women and minorities are lower than those of men and Caucasians. While 56 percent of the men who entered tenure-track positions in 1997-98 had achieved tenure by 2004-05, only 48 percent of the women who entered comparable positions had reached this level within seven years. Of the faculty distribution in higher education, the woman population is framed by 48.6 percent part time educators, while only 30.2% of women faculty are either on the tenure tack, or have received tenure. This disproportionate number seems to be based upon two issues that currently plague the school systems. The first of these issues involves the analysis of a professors work once he/she receives tenure. In an ideal world, once a professor receives tenure, they still allow themselves to fit the agenda of the university, and the need to diversify ones core members. However, when a professor typically gains tenure, they tend to overlook the needs of the university, and find themselves placing their own issues for all to see. Rather than allowing themselves to give in to the will of the university, the professors with tenure rather find themselves more aloof from their general population of colleagues, and are less willing to bend to create an amicable situation for the cohorts they work with. As R.P. Chait writes, Tenure inhibits the strategic reallocations of resources. In short, when a professor accepts tenure, and a life ling pay check the likes of which admittedly is a fairly hard deal to pass up, that professor winds up placing far less allocation of resources. The typical norm of a professor on tenure is to be a middle aged, white male, having taught in the Universitys programs for multiple years. Therefore, any hope for a rising woman within the ranks of university levels are pretty much eliminated when one understands that universities must eventually cater to the somewhat flawed system that is tenure. As James Carlin writes in Clawsons Tenure and the Future of the University, Lifetime job guarantees border on being immoral. The idea here is that without having to pay a guaranteed salary to an upper echelon of employees who are more in pursuit of their own interests, and have become detached from his/her environment, that new blood, who have been working hard to obtain their equality in the university school system, will finally be able to be matched in payment to their male counterparts. Also, the implied feeling is that most of the tenured teachers are indeed men, and that by eliminating the process of tenure from the university school system, women become more in control of their ability to rise in the education system, and take their rightful place as equals in the education system. Eliminating tenure as a complete establishment of the university system, however, is a topic that is extremely controversial, and getting professors to consent to giving up tenure would be a difficult, at best, task. Not only that, but the system of tenure, within itself, is also statistically supported to produce better, and happier, students. As Clawson points out in his piece, A study, based on 30,000 student transcripts, found that first year students were less likely to return for their sophomore year if their large introductory classes were taught by part-time faculty (20). Certainly, the statistics prove that providing a stable course for students, as well as stable footing for the professors that teach these students, is pivotal for running a four year college. As Clawson states, yet again, Although contingent faculty may be excellent teachers, typically they do not have the continuity and institutional supports that enable them to provide mentoring. If the contingent faculty do not hold offices; it is hard to for them to hold office hours; if they are gone a year later, students have trouble getting letters of recommendation. Seemingly, this is a troubling issue to all students, and all members of a university would like to feel security within their position in the school. However, I would personally argue that Clawson happens to be using an extreme case to show differentiation between schools that do offer tenure, and those that make it known that most teaching basis are temporary. While its often we find in universities lecturers and instructors that may be around for a semester or such, a case of a professor leaving the school after a year of contribution is rarely heard of at a typical four year university. The problem of instability within the ranks is far more abundant a two years school, and community colleges, where by nature its far more likely to witness a student transfer, moving on to a larger, more established four year university. These holes in Clawsons counter points, though somewhat valid, lead me to wonder how they affect four year universities. Even as Clawson consents in his findings, Certainly the situation is a complex one, and it would be naïve to say that the current tenure system is perfect in all ways. However, despite the best efforts of administration and trustees, tenure remains a crucial part of any attempt to have a first rate college or university. The simple fact is that tenure is an issue that will never fully go away from our universities current policies of hiring professors. Nantually, these professors will seek a job security in which is permanent. If that professor is unable to find said security within the current climate of the university, that professor can simply seek solace and comfort within the permanent job security that is most apparent in most to all four year universities. As Clawson summarizes, The decision about Tenure is also a decision about two visions of a university. A university can be seen as a business with a product whose offerings should be driven by demand, a business that should rely on contingent faculty combined with highly paid administrators committed to the bottom line. Alternatively, it can be seen as a center of knowledge where students are educated (not just trained) that should be governed in significant part by tenure system faculty with long term commitment to the institution and to knowledge.
While Tenure seems to be an issue that causes women to not be matched in regards to equality both in pay scale and in employment as full professors, it would appear as though the reform of tenure is something that may take generations to come full circle. However, as I would theorize, the formation of a new tenure system, with more equality based upon womens life expectancies, as opposed to mens expectancies, which are greatly curved for mens shorter life spans, could lead to more equality within the teaching profession at the university level. For generations, women have managed to overcome an otherwise insurmountable struggle, and while there are many strives still to make, creating a hiring process in which women can attain full professor status should be a pressing issue for University presidents, and the trustees whom fund the school. Otherwise, women professors may begin to search out for other job ventures of equal and respectable pay.
1. This thread actually is an extention of research I've done in th past month in US History, and namely, The Feminist Movement. I took the course, and though I wouldn't go as far as to say that I'm a full out feminist, I've learned much through the class, and would recommend such a class to anyone; man, woman, doesn't make a lick of difference to me.
2. Naturally, women are not the only people affected by this discrepancy we are about to explore today. This also affects minorities and other individuals hoping to climb the ranks of university teaching. However, the data I've complied affects women. If you'd like to your own search into the brash differences one can see in hiring minorities to university profession, I suggest that you look into the following website, and look up Diversity:
www.aacu.org/resources
The following post is meant merely to bring up discussion on the matter of tenure. It isn't to say that tenure is to be eliminated, but to only consider the modification of tenure, to better suit our colleges across the country. More info on the actual matter of Tenure may be found in an article written by Dan Clawson, titled "Tenure and the Future of the University. I suggest everyone read up on it, should you want to know more
Not only are teachers supposed to enrich the mind, and allow for growth amongst their students, but they are, to some extent, meant to provide a nurturing, guiding hand to the student in question. What better creature than that of woman, the provider of life, to maintain such a responsibility in society. Throughout society, women have been the ones to raise children, and provide them with many life lessons. And to some extent, women have taken a role within elementary and secondary education programs. Of the 6.2 million teachers in the United States, seventy one percent of them are women. Also, of the 3.1 million teachers that make their livings as the elementary and secondary level, seventy nine percent are women. Yet, this number only takes into account the teachers that work in these ranks, and when one looks out to the ranks of universities, one is bound to find that women make up a far smaller form of the population of professors. Whereas women make up the majority of the workforce at the elementary and secondary level, women are treated as somewhat of an afterthought in regards to attaining full professor status at universities. The numbers are radically inversed, with men making up the greater portion of the teaching ranks. Such is the case, even as women now make up fifty seven percent of undergraduate students, and a little more than fifty four percent of graduate students. With women now the majority of those reaching the university level, its become apparent that women are having difficulty attaining full professor status, and receiving the ability to advance their career into higher positions, such as Presidents of Universities, and Chief Academic Advisors. While women find themselves clotting positions in the lower ranks, yet when actually looking at the position of full professor, women only compose twenty five percent of the population of full time professors at Universities. As it stands, thirty percent of women professors are currently working off of the tenure track, as opposed to twenty percent of men. What is the reasoning behind womens inability to move past the low ranking positions at universities, such as instructors and lecturers, and gaining a stable position within the workforce in which theyve entered? What makes it so difficult for women to achieve tenure status, and why is it so likely to find teachers on the off-tenure track at universities? This research paper will analyze womens standing currently within the ranks of universities, at all different types of universities available, and will theorize exactly why women are placed in such a disadvantageous station in the ranks of college campuses in the United States.
Often, as it stands, the fact is that women find it extremely difficult to manage to life of a typical tenured professor, while also maintaining the typical issues predominantly found in the middle class home. Unfortunately, the ideal worker in the society in which we have developed seems to take none of these taxing issues with them into the workforce, and are usually confined to an either/or situation, which may call for them to compromise their hopes of becoming a full time professor. Even then, as some women reach the point of being full time professors, they find themselves still struggling to manages the hassles of the life at home, as well as take all of the hours possible for raising their children. Consequently, its far more likely to see women professors complain of matters such as work overload, childcare responsibilities, healthcare matters, and a lack of personal time. While there are certain things that can be done to appease such a situation for women, there are five things that can be done in this matter that was recommended by Gappa, Austin, and Trice. The first thing that the three state that they believe should occur to make the workplace more appealing for women is to offer equal treatment of employees within the system. Such things as an equal pay base should be offered, both for men and women alike in the education. Currently, within the education profession, women members of the faculty of college universities earn 82.6 percent of what male faculty earn, with the greatest gap at the full professor rank. The fact that women are placed into jobs with lower wages than their male counterparts, while doing an equal portion of the work, may prove as reasoning for women to not continue their studies, and allow themselves to continue in a doctorate program. Before any other of the inequalities that are met by women in the teaching profession is dealt with, this certain inequality must be rectified, and women must be afforded the same amount of pay as men.
One of the given reasonings as the why women are not attributed the same amount of pay within the teaching profession has to do with the often controversial of tenure. In 1997-98, 1382 individuals were hired into tenure track positions across the ten institutions. By 2004-05, 737 (53 percent) had achieved tenure. However, the tenure rates for women and minorities are lower than those of men and Caucasians. While 56 percent of the men who entered tenure-track positions in 1997-98 had achieved tenure by 2004-05, only 48 percent of the women who entered comparable positions had reached this level within seven years. Of the faculty distribution in higher education, the woman population is framed by 48.6 percent part time educators, while only 30.2% of women faculty are either on the tenure tack, or have received tenure. This disproportionate number seems to be based upon two issues that currently plague the school systems. The first of these issues involves the analysis of a professors work once he/she receives tenure. In an ideal world, once a professor receives tenure, they still allow themselves to fit the agenda of the university, and the need to diversify ones core members. However, when a professor typically gains tenure, they tend to overlook the needs of the university, and find themselves placing their own issues for all to see. Rather than allowing themselves to give in to the will of the university, the professors with tenure rather find themselves more aloof from their general population of colleagues, and are less willing to bend to create an amicable situation for the cohorts they work with. As R.P. Chait writes, Tenure inhibits the strategic reallocations of resources. In short, when a professor accepts tenure, and a life ling pay check the likes of which admittedly is a fairly hard deal to pass up, that professor winds up placing far less allocation of resources. The typical norm of a professor on tenure is to be a middle aged, white male, having taught in the Universitys programs for multiple years. Therefore, any hope for a rising woman within the ranks of university levels are pretty much eliminated when one understands that universities must eventually cater to the somewhat flawed system that is tenure. As James Carlin writes in Clawsons Tenure and the Future of the University, Lifetime job guarantees border on being immoral. The idea here is that without having to pay a guaranteed salary to an upper echelon of employees who are more in pursuit of their own interests, and have become detached from his/her environment, that new blood, who have been working hard to obtain their equality in the university school system, will finally be able to be matched in payment to their male counterparts. Also, the implied feeling is that most of the tenured teachers are indeed men, and that by eliminating the process of tenure from the university school system, women become more in control of their ability to rise in the education system, and take their rightful place as equals in the education system. Eliminating tenure as a complete establishment of the university system, however, is a topic that is extremely controversial, and getting professors to consent to giving up tenure would be a difficult, at best, task. Not only that, but the system of tenure, within itself, is also statistically supported to produce better, and happier, students. As Clawson points out in his piece, A study, based on 30,000 student transcripts, found that first year students were less likely to return for their sophomore year if their large introductory classes were taught by part-time faculty (20). Certainly, the statistics prove that providing a stable course for students, as well as stable footing for the professors that teach these students, is pivotal for running a four year college. As Clawson states, yet again, Although contingent faculty may be excellent teachers, typically they do not have the continuity and institutional supports that enable them to provide mentoring. If the contingent faculty do not hold offices; it is hard to for them to hold office hours; if they are gone a year later, students have trouble getting letters of recommendation. Seemingly, this is a troubling issue to all students, and all members of a university would like to feel security within their position in the school. However, I would personally argue that Clawson happens to be using an extreme case to show differentiation between schools that do offer tenure, and those that make it known that most teaching basis are temporary. While its often we find in universities lecturers and instructors that may be around for a semester or such, a case of a professor leaving the school after a year of contribution is rarely heard of at a typical four year university. The problem of instability within the ranks is far more abundant a two years school, and community colleges, where by nature its far more likely to witness a student transfer, moving on to a larger, more established four year university. These holes in Clawsons counter points, though somewhat valid, lead me to wonder how they affect four year universities. Even as Clawson consents in his findings, Certainly the situation is a complex one, and it would be naïve to say that the current tenure system is perfect in all ways. However, despite the best efforts of administration and trustees, tenure remains a crucial part of any attempt to have a first rate college or university. The simple fact is that tenure is an issue that will never fully go away from our universities current policies of hiring professors. Nantually, these professors will seek a job security in which is permanent. If that professor is unable to find said security within the current climate of the university, that professor can simply seek solace and comfort within the permanent job security that is most apparent in most to all four year universities. As Clawson summarizes, The decision about Tenure is also a decision about two visions of a university. A university can be seen as a business with a product whose offerings should be driven by demand, a business that should rely on contingent faculty combined with highly paid administrators committed to the bottom line. Alternatively, it can be seen as a center of knowledge where students are educated (not just trained) that should be governed in significant part by tenure system faculty with long term commitment to the institution and to knowledge.
While Tenure seems to be an issue that causes women to not be matched in regards to equality both in pay scale and in employment as full professors, it would appear as though the reform of tenure is something that may take generations to come full circle. However, as I would theorize, the formation of a new tenure system, with more equality based upon womens life expectancies, as opposed to mens expectancies, which are greatly curved for mens shorter life spans, could lead to more equality within the teaching profession at the university level. For generations, women have managed to overcome an otherwise insurmountable struggle, and while there are many strives still to make, creating a hiring process in which women can attain full professor status should be a pressing issue for University presidents, and the trustees whom fund the school. Otherwise, women professors may begin to search out for other job ventures of equal and respectable pay.
[/sarcasm]