Transparency in Academic Recruitment: A Problematic Tool for Gender Equality?

Abstract

Gender research has made a call for more transparency and accountability in academic recruitment and selection in order to overcome the inequality practices that have led to an underrepresentation of women among full professors. This paper provides insight into the multiple ways in which the notions of transparency and accountability are put into practice in academic recruitment and selection, and how this has enhanced — or hindered — gender equality. The methods employed consist of a qualitative content analysis of seven recruitment and selection protocols, interviews with 64 committee members, and an analysis of 971 appointment reports of full professors in the Netherlands. Our analysis contributes to the study of organizations in three respects. First, it shows that recruitment and selection processes are characterized by bounded transparency and limited accountability at best. Second, it explains that the protocols that should ensure transparency and accountability remain paper tigresses, because of the micropolitics and gender practices that are part and parcel of recruitment and selection. Third, it contributes to gender equality theory in organization theory by showing how a myriad of gender practices simultaneously increases and counteracts gender equality measures in academia.

Gender in the neoliberalised global academy: the affective economy of women and leadership in South Asia

“…being recognised, developed, selected and promoted into senior leadership posts in most developing and developed countries (Ibarra, Carta and Silva 2010;Manfredi, Grisoni and Handley 2014;Singh 2008; Van den Brink, Benschop and Jansen 2010).…”

Increasing Gender Diversity in Senior Roles in HE: Who Is Afraid of Positive Action?

“…While the subjective one refers to the actual interpretation of these factors given by decision makers, involved in the recruitment and selection or promotion process. The difficulties with the subjective dimension relating to the interpretation of the actual criteria are well illustrated by a study about professorial promotion practices in HE [53] (p. 1473). This found that the interpretation of the criteria is "often characterised by confusion and contradiction" and that it can end up being "the perfect breeding grounds" for institutional micropolitics where "manipulation" may occur "in order to filter out or favour certain candidates".…”

Do we have proportionate gender in policy making? A Study based on key Government Institutions of SAARC Region

“…Transparency has remained a top issue in the gender selection for bringing gender equality, especially when the authorities practices such selection evaluation process which is confidential by nature because in an open selection evaluation system the females have more chances to be selected [14,15]. The lack of transparency in the selection can cause more favour to a specific candidate because in flexible criteria's in the selection evaluation, the panel members may change their opinion that can be due to power game as well [16].…”