Report: Sex Discrimination Exists When Women Denied Tenure
Feature Story by civilrights.org staff - 10/26/2004
Female professors continue to face discrimination when they seek tenure, according to the new report "Tenure Denied: Cases of Sex Discrimination in Academia."Published by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation and the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund, "Tenure Denied" details the stories of women who took their fights for tenure to the courts. The report provides a personal look at the cost those battles have had on the women's lives and careers.
The report also brings to light the consequences that result from having tenure denied, showing that a discriminatory double standard system still exists for men and women.
"There is something wrong in academia - which is expected to set a high standard and example for other workplaces - when the example being set for our young people is one of inequality and discrimination," said Mary Ellen Smyth, president of the AAUW Educational Foundation. "And there is something dramatically wrong when female professors challenge discrimination and it results in irreparable damage to their careers."
Research shows that in an academic setting, compared to men, women on average earn less, hold lower-ranking positions, and are less likely to attain tenure. Of the faculty at colleges and universities offering four-year degrees, only 27 percent of those awarded tenure are women.
According to AAUW, these battles are nearly impossible to win since the odds are largely stacked against plaintiffs. Of the 19 AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund-supported cases described in the report, eight (42 percent) plaintiffs lost, seven (37 percent) settled, two (11 percent) won, and two cases are on-going.
According to the AAUW report, the costs of challenging sex discrimination - both financially and emotionally -- are enormous.
"Litigation expenses are huge in terms of both time and money, and the odds of women prevailing in court can seem insurmountable," said Michele Warholic Wetherald, president of the AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund.
"Sex discrimination is not the thing of the past. It appears to be more difficult and more costly than before," said Smyth. "The aim of this report is not to endure the problem of sex discrimination but to illustrate how costly it is. We need to place faith to educate young people. But gender biases have aggravated any attempts to this playing field."
Wetherald said the report could act as a catalyst for change.
"'Tenure Denied' is not a call-to-lawsuits for female professors" she said. "The report includes a number of effective strategies for both colleges and universities, as well as women to use in an attempt to resolve -- and in many cases, avoid - courtroom disputes."
