American Federation of Teachers Calls for Eliminating Gender Gap in Faculty Hiring and Pay

The American Federation of Teachers has published a new report addressing gender inequity in higher education. The report entitled, Promoting Gender Diversity in the Faculty: What Higher Education Unions Can Do, states that while women are 57 percent of all enrollments in higher education, they make up only 40 percent of the full-time faculty. And the AFT report provides data on the gender gap in pay, in general and for specific academic disciplines.

In releasing the report, AFT President Randi Weingarten stated, “Role models make a difference in student success. Research shows a direct correlation between female undergraduates’ success and the percentage of women faculty members. We must do better to ensure equity and excellence on our higher education campuses.”

The report offers several recommendations, including:

• Educate faculty search committees about gender inequalities.

• Expand family-friendly campus facilities and policies.

• Provide more flexibility in tenure and promotion policies.

• Use collective bargaining to ensure greater equity in faculty pay.