Study to Examine Gender Differences in Faculty Workloads

A new study funded by a $750,000 grant from the National Science Foundation will examine whether men and women faculty members at public universities in three states have different workloads. The study will also examine what accounts for any gender differences in workloads and what steps can be taken to minimize the differences. The study will also see if workload differences impact job satisfaction and faculty retention.

The Faculty Workload and Rewards Project will examine faculty workloads in 42 academic departments at 13 public universities in Maryland, Massachusetts, and North Carolina.

The project is under the direction of KerryAnn O’Meara, a professor of higher education at the University of Maryland. She states that the project “has the potential to make long-term shifts possible through structural change in workload assignments and accountability, and cultural changes in transparency and bias regarding those assignments.”

Dr. O’Meara holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Loyola University in Maryland. She earned a master’s degree in education from Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Maryland.

Researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Massachusetts will be responsible for the surveys of public institutions in their states.