How to Stop the Clock: The Effects of Tenure Clock Extensions on Faculty Diversity

Abstract

Work-life policies designed to accommodate mothers often undermine their career advancement. We propose a theory of “organizational policy universalism,” arguing that work-life policies will be more effective at reducing gender inequality when they are universally applied. We examine tenure-clock extensions, adopted to mitigate career penalties faced by faculty who are caregivers. We suggest that tenure-clock extensions will better reduce inequality when they reduce the salience of motherhood through policy universalism. Three types of tenure-clock extensions embody policy universalism—tenure-clock extensions available to men and women rather than only to women, extensions that apply automatically to all parents rather than requiring parents to opt in, and extensions with guidance for promotion reviewers to evaluate policy users and non-users equally. We examine the effects of tenure clock extension policies with and without features of universalism on faculty diversity at 508 U.S. colleges and universities. The findings show that universal policies are more effective at increasing the share of women among tenured faculty. While decision makers often seek to help disadvantaged groups with targeting policies, universal policies may be more effective at mainstreaming these initiatives, reducing gender inequality in organizations.