A Report Card on Women Faculty at Stanford University

A new report finds that although Stanford University has made progress in increasing the number of women on its faculty and in key administrative posts, a great deal more needs to be done. The report found that in 2013, there were 545 women on the Stanford faculty, compared to 1,498 men. Thus, women made up 26.7 percent of the total faculty. While this may seem to be a low percentage, there has been significant progress. Twenty years earlier in 1993, women were 15.7 percent of the Stanford faculty. A decade ago, women were 22.6 percent of all faculty at Stanford.

The study also found that women were not well represented in leadership positions in the Stanford administration. The report found that high-ranking women leaders oversaw an estimated 14 percent of the university’s budget, manage about 15 percent of the university’s employees and lead schools with just 5.5 percent of the university’s faculty.

Sabine Girod, associate professor of surgery at Stanford was the leader of the study group. She stated, “An inclusive and diverse pipeline of future leaders is essential to best serve Stanford, which has made great strides in diversifying its student body in the past decade. We can better serve those students if they see themselves mirrored in leadership positions. And studies have shown that diversity in leadership has the potential to expand knowledge and lead to innovation, which helps all of Stanford, including faculty and staff.”

Dr. Girod holds a doctorate of dental science from the University of Bonn in Germany, a medical doctorate from the University of Hannover, and a Ph.D. from the University of Cologne.