Women in academia: 'What women get is endless mentoring, instead of a focus on changing the structures'

Academia is no longer dominated by men, with women making up more than half of lecturers. But problems remain across third-level in Ireland.

THE TRADITIONAL PICTURE of academia as a bastion of male dominance is far from the current reality in Irish higher education.

Four of the country’s universities are now led by women – no mean feat given that the first female university president was only appointed a year and a half ago. Women also account for more than half of lecturers, according to a report by the HEA, making the days of all-male departments seem a distant history.

But these figures only tell part of the story, and in other ways progress has been slow.
Take the highest academic ranks, which are still a long way from gender parity. Only 27% of professors in Irish universities are female, according to the same HEA report, with research showing that women are less likely to be moved up to the highest faculty level. The gender gap can be seen at the other end of the scale as well. Women and minorities are over-represented in precarious academic jobs, while permanent full-time contracts are disproportionately held by men.

Recents efforts to improve gender diversity have included a requirement that universities have equality action plans in order to receive research funding. “That’s been a real driver of change,” says Ross Woods of the Higher Education Authority’s Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality. “We’ve made it clear that the money will only be there once certain commitments are made, and you do see the difference once financial repercussions are raised.”

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