Gender equity in professional and general staff in Australian universities: the contemporary picture

Abstract

Most research on employment conditions of university staff has focused on academic staff and excluded all other staff who now constitute the majority of employees in Australian universities. This article presents a snapshot of these professional staff using data from a 2011 national study of 19 universities, the Work and Careers in Australia University (WCAU) survey. Analysis of responses from 10,924 general/professional university workers was undertaken and comparisons made where possible with a similar 1996 survey conducted by Probert. The article addresses the ongoing issue of women’s progress up organisational hierarchies and presents an analysis of some of the mechanisms by which gender amongst university professional staff is produced and hindered. Specifically, it addresses questions of educational level, current position in the organisation, appointments, promotion and reclassification of positions, that is advancement through the hierarchy. The article concludes that despite equal educational attainments, women remain less likely than men to reach senior positions.