workforce
told Fitzgerald that her women friends in other universities advised her to keep a low profile,“ to keep my head down, to not be noticed for the wrong things”.
Fitzgerald further discovered that job advertisements have a place in delineating applicants by gender.“ Often the words used in job advertisements are highly gendered” and can provide insight as to whether they are seeking a male or female for the position, she says.
The vice-chancellor and president at the University of Southern Queensland, professor Jan Thomas, says the type of gender inequity Fitzgerald refers to needs to change.
Universities need to demonstrate what they value and teach, Thomas says.“ Universities have some way to go before they can authentically role model inclusive and equitable practice beyond the theory and policy.
“ Despite priding themselves on their intellectual and inclusive approaches, it remains that the complexities of gendered workforce cultures that exist in other industries also apply at university management level,” Thomas says.
Many factors contribute to this, she says. For example, success getting promotions is affected by attributes such as research track record and, in her view, there is evidence of an unconscious bias against women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Cultures in middle and senior management and perceptions of which leadership styles can be successful also contribute to this problem, she says.
“ The notion of diversity around the table as adding richness to decision-making still appears embryonic,” Thomas adds.“ In this context, women are just a small part of a bigger canvas.”
Thomas has had a long and distinguished academic career in top positions at universities, including the University of Notre Dame in Western Australia and Murdoch University. She says she was subjected to overt discrimination during the 1980s but that it was relatively easy to deal with,“ providing I remained confident in my own ability”.
“ Over the years, I have observed female colleagues being overlooked regardless of their role, when the‘ real business’ [ that of money ] is discussed.”
Whilst emphasising that all Australians deserve a level playing field in the workplace, Thomas also says the fact remains that“ for many women, and for those from diverse backgrounds, the opportunities to fulfil their potential, while enshrined in law, are not enabled or supported by workplace cultures”.
Thomas’ suggestions for improving the workforce balance within universities include:
• Recognising that diverse perspectives and flexible arrangements benefit all staff and the organisation
• Ensuring there is professional acceptance for men who choose to have caring roles whilst pursuing their professional ambitions
• there may be a need to place targets or expectations about gender balance and workplace culture into senior and middle managers’ performance appraisals
• Modelling and publically discussing these behaviours. Lisa French, deputy dean at the school of media and communication at RMIT, has researched setting gender quotas for corporate Australia and says they could be applied to universities.
“ This kind of choosing only from the male pool means that potential innovation is missed out on … Any culture, whether it’ s too many men or too many women, isn’ t really a healthy, reflective culture,” French says.
She says the biggest problem is that“ gender is not on the agenda. But if you have got quotas and you are paying attention to the issue and you are deliberately improving the gender balance, then you will move towards change.”
Workplace law expert professor Simon Rice, from the Australian National University, says he believes in quotas as a means of overcoming both unconscious bias against women and the systemic disadvantage that women suffer in having their abilities recognised.
“ My impression gained from a career in anti-discrimination practice is that gender inequality continues to pervade, if not actually define, the Australian workforce,” Rice says.“ Exclusion and unfavourable treatment have become less direct but continue both consciously and unconsciously.”
The law has done little to recognise this, he says. Antidiscrimination law is the same now as it was 40 years ago in the way it envisages and addresses discrimination, failing to adapt to new forms of it and updated understanding of how it can be addressed.
“ The same can be said for industrial laws and laws promoting gender equality in the workplace,” Rice says.“ Failure to pursue affirmative action is a significant obstacle to women’ s equality.”
Despite the slow rate of change, however, Thomas says her preference would be to avoid quotas and focus on targets, coupled with efforts to change culture and behaviours.“ The last thing ambitious women need as they battle their socialisation and the societal norms that surround them is the little voice in their head saying that they may not have got a position on merit,” she says.
Fitzgerald was somewhat more supportive of quotas, saying,“[ They ] work well if there is an institutional culture that sees quotas as philosophically important.” But she says it should be more about getting the balance right.“ Gender balance is really important, so as well as getting women into senior management, it’ s also important to look across the university and say,‘ Are there some departments where there’ s an absence of men in leadership roles?’” ■
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