FEMALE PROFESSIONALS IN THE WORLD OF

Higher Education
A STRUGGLE FOR BALANCE AND EQUALITY
BREAKDOWN
HYPOTHESIS
"Women are less likely to accept positions in
higher education because of pressure from
employers to choose family over a career."

METHODS
300 Qualtrics surveys
200 mailed-out surveys
83 total responses

VALIDITY
INTERNAL: All survey questions directly reflect the
study's purpose, while providing participants the
opportunity to fully express their relevant
experiences.
EXTERNAL: A desired survey return rate of 100
would have made the research applicable in all
circumstances.
"HAVE YOU EVER
DECIDED TO DECLINE
EMPLOYMENT OR TAKE A
LESSER POSITION IN
ORDER TO BALANCE
WORK AND FAMILY?"

LADIES' CHOICE
31% YES
54% NO
15% UNSURE
15 recorded "unsure" responses include
slowed careers, changes in professional
interest, and overall satisfaction with
currently held, long-term positions.
" HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TURNED DOWN FOR A
JOB IN HIGHER EDUCATION
BECAUSE YOU ARE A FEMALE?"

5% REPORT BEING Prying and intrusive personal-life questions (irrelevant to the

TURNED DOWN position) are the leading reasons these women feel gender
became a determining factor in the hiring process.

54% WERE NOT While they love their work, its harder than they thought it
TURNED DOWN would be. There is a lower pay rate, and theyre not as
respected as their male counterparts. They have to assert
themselves more in spaces of leadership to be seen as
41% DID NOT KNOW capable, but are also impelled to hold themselves back or
censor themselves.
 WHAT'S CHANGED?
The top 6 life changes caused by careers in higher education

1 2 3
DIVORCE FEW/NO ROLE CHANGES
CHILDREN WITH SPOUSE

4 5 6
NO TIME FOR HIRED HELP INCONVENIENT
HOBBIES/HOME MOVES

"I made the decision to postpone having children until after

securing a tenure-track position. Unfortunately, I encountered
fertility challenges, which I would not have faced if I had not
delayed pregnancy."
THE
CRITICS
IN ANY OF YOUR
POSITIONS, DO YOU FEEL
YOU WERE
DISCRIMINATED AGAINST
BECAUSE OF YOUR
FAMILY LIFE?

23% feel/have felt discriminated against

based on gender or home life. The
discrimination comes from colleagues,
students, deans, and during the hiring
process.
58% have not, but admit to having
struggled with wage gaps, and being seen
as "touchy feely" in the classroom.
 I DON'T THINK MY
DIRECTOR WOULD ASK
MALE MEMBERS OF
OUR COLLEGE TO DO
SOME THINGS I'M
ASKED, OR TO WORK
AS MUCH AS I DO.

I MAKE LESS THAN MY STUDENTS DO NOT

MALE COUNTERPARTS INITIALLY GRANT THAT
BECAUSE I DON'T I'M AN AUTHORITY IN
HAVE "TO PROVIDE" MY SUBJECT AREA.
FOR MY FAMILY.

I HAVE TO WALK A
VERY THIN LINE
BETWEEN BEING
" S O F T " E N O U G H ( N I C E ,

CARING,
UNDERSTANDING,
FLEXIBLE) BUT TOUGH
ENOUGH THAT I DON'T
GET TAKEN
ADVANTAGE OF.
 MAIN TAKE-AWAY:

this isn't over.

FOR MANY WOMEN, THE FIGHT FOR EQUAL TREATMENT IN
THE FIELD OF HIGHER EDUCATION DOESN'T HAVE A
FORESEEABLE END.