Gender Diversity in Academic Sector—Case Study

Anna Wieczorek-Szymańska

doi:10.3390/admsci10030041

Abstract

Diversity is one of the main characteristics of social groups, including work-teams. At the same time, gender is an important aspect of diversity in organizations, and gender diversity deals with the equal representation of men and women in the workplace. This article aims to analyze the issue of gender diversity in the academic sector and to evaluate the organizational maturity of particular universities in gender diversity management. To do so, the method of comparative case studies is used—Polish and Spanish higher education institutions are compared. First of all, the author describes the status of men and women in Poland and in Spain, in general (considering different socio-economic factors). In the next part of the article, the gender structure of employment in both the Polish and the Spanish academic sector is presented. Finally, the analysis of gender diversity in two universities is conducted. Additionally, the author introduces the model of organizational maturity in gender diversity management (OMDM), to evaluate organizational attitudes toward gender diversity and the type of gender diversity policy in universities. The findings reveal that, in both Polish and Spanish societies and economies, there still are barriers that cause inequalities between men and women in the labor market. Considering the situation in the academic sector, it can be said that the gender structure of employment is more balanced in Poland than in Spain. At the same time, the highest positions of full professors are mainly occupied by men both in Poland and in Spain. When analyzing the situation in the organizations, employment is more diverse in the Polish university, but both universities face the same problem—too little representation of women in top job positions. Consequently, both institutions are classified as those which are in the preliminary stage in the model of gender diversity management. This study contributes to a better understanding of the issue of gender diversity by comparing the status of men and women in the academic sector in two countries and in two universities. Additionally, the model of OMDM presented in this article can be a useful tool to assess the policy of gender diversity in different organizations.

Highlights

IntroductionThe issue of gender can be considered in a biological context (nature determines an individual’s sex and, by this, defines a person as a man or a women) and in a social context (focusing mainly on defining social roles that are typical for a man or a woman in a society)
The issue of gender can be considered in a biological context and in a social context
The question for the purpose of the research is as follows: What is the stage of gender diversity management in the organization, considering the model of organizational maturity in diversity management? The main object of the research is to analyze the issue of gender diversity in the academic sector and to evaluate organizational maturity in gender diversity management

Summary

Introduction

The issue of gender can be considered in a biological context (nature determines an individual’s sex and, by this, defines a person as a man or a women) and in a social context (focusing mainly on defining social roles that are typical for a man or a woman in a society) Those roles are strengthened by the culture and the tradition of the society the person lives in. Women were a minority in the labor market, since in most societies their main role was not to earn money but to run a household They did not participate in a political life, as, for example, women only received the right to vote in 1918 in Poland (in 1931 in Spain). Women have fought for their right to choose whether to stay home or to work

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