Top university managers and affirmative action

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyse if the existence of equal opportunity legislative frameworks and affirmative action programs make any difference to the way senior managers perceive the role of top university managers in influencing women's position in their institutions. A comparative study was therefore undertaken between a country with traditions in implementing AA in universities-Australia-and another which has no tradition in this domain-Portugal. A qualitative methodology was chosen to collect and analyse data. A total of 44 interviews with male and female university senior managers-21 in Australia and 23 in Portugal-were conducted by the principal researcher in each country. When describing the role of top managers, gender equality was not often mentioned, suggesting that it may not be a topic on the current institutional political agenda either in Australia or in Portugal. When specifically asked about gender, respondents considered that Rectors and VCs in the two countries took opposite positions with Australian VCs being more aware of their role in improving gender equality. The study therefore concluded that the existence of equal opportunities frameworks and AA policies may have an influence in increasing top managers' awareness of their roles in improving women's representation in management teams.

Gender Affirmative Action and Management: A Systematic Literature Review on How Diversity and Inclusion Management Affect Gender Equity in Organizations

“…Australia, on the other hand, introduced the Australian Sex Discrimination Act in 1984, aiming for equal treatment and opportunity for men and women across the country. Besides protecting people from discrimination, the act aimed to make it “unlawful for people to be discriminated against in many areas of public life, including employment, education, buying goods, accommodation and housing, commonwealth laws and programs, and playing sport” [ 50 ]. In 1986, the AA (Equal Opportunity for Women) included private-sector corporations and universities to comply with the 1984 act [ 29 , 51 , 52 ].…”

“…Several authors also contend that public and private organizations differ in the drivers or motivations to initiate AA [ 22 , 31 , 56 , 64 , 65 , 74 ]. While the former responds to legal compliance [ 25 , 70 ], the latter can be motivated by the potential benefits of heterogeneity in management [ 12 , 50 , 54 , 61 , 75 ] or even understand this “as part of a design to achieve political goals” [ 33 ]. Still, prior experiences with AA influence employees and managers’ general perceptions and attitudes towards such initiatives [ 62 , 64 , 66 , 69 ].…”

Australasian university management, gender and life course issues

“…The possibility of new models for senior management was evident in Australia where universities worked proactively with women in senior positions when they have children and there is an awareness of gender as an issue (Carvalho et al, 2013), but generally the single-minded focus on work and associated extreme hours were accepted as the norm. It would be beneficial for both women and men to consider how stereotypical masculine beliefs around career and life course shape leadership possibilities.…”

Career Advancement and Gender Equity in Academia

“…Research in academia showed that full professorship is a prerequisite for a managerial position (Carvalho & White, 2013). Simultaneously a degree may predefine an entering position of a candidate.…”