In the United States, there are now 20 female senate members, the highest in U.S. history. The U.S. Army recently lifted the ban on women in combat. Last month, Kathleen Wynne became the first female and gay premier of Ontario.
Despite the rising presence of women in leadership roles, less than half of professors at St. Thomas University are female.
STU student, Lindsey MacKay, has had no female professors this year and only two last year.
“I really didn’t think there would be a shortage of female professors at a liberal arts school,” MacKay said.
“As long as the professor is qualified that’s good enough for me, but still I feel it would be a nice change of pace to have a female prof,” MacKay said.
Forty-four per cent of STU professors are female, according to the CAUT Almanac. In comparison, Mount Saint Vincent University has 61 per cent and St. Mary’s University has a low 34 per cent female professors. Being all small liberal arts schools, there is a big disparity in each school.
“Mount Saint Vincent University’s 61 per cent female representation shows us that an availability pool in the liberal arts exists there to be tapped,” Marilee Reimer, women and gender studies professor said.
At STU, both the philosophy and political science departments are without female faculty. Yet, STU has a female student population of 69 per cent.
“This disparity causes a big problem…especially with the majority of students being female…they need role models in the classroom,” philosophy professor, James Gilbert-Walsh said.
In Gilbert-Walsh’s department, all four of the full-time faculty are men. He says the problem is not so much STU but the subject of philosophy.
The philosophy department hopes to get females more interested in the subject so in the long run there will be more female philosophy professors in the job market.
Only 31 per cent of professors were female from 2010 to 2011, according to Statistics Canada. And only 47 per cent of females have earned a doctorate degree and are employed.
Another way to fix this problem is through “affirmative action.” This was adopted by the University of Toronto in the 90’s. The goal was to establish a female faculty over a ten-year period that was two-thirds female Gilbert-Walsh said.
Unfortunately STU is unable to do this because of its small size. STU cannot guarantee a particular amount of female professors as it does not have the money to hire so many people; however, according to the STU website, there is a policy in place that deals with equity.
“An equal opportunity employer, St. Thomas University is committed to employment equity for women, Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minority groups, and persons with disabilities. The university welcomes applications from all faiths and backgrounds.”
“In my view, in the last few hires my department has tried to hire more females,” Gilbert-Walsh said.
“However, the department will not hire someone who is unqualified for the job even if we need the female professors.”
At STU each department sets up a committee for the first step of the hiring process. The committee sends out an advertisement for the job. Then, they pick out the best applicants and meet for interviews. The committee then makes the recommendation to the administration.
“Administration ultimately decides but usually follows the department,” Gilbert-Walsh said.
In primary and secondary schools there are mostly female students. Gilbert-Walsh said this could be explained because of the social obligation for women to have certain jobs such as secretaries, day-care workers, and teachers for younger children.
“Women should be aware and critical of pressures and that these jobs are not the only employment women can do,” Gilbert-Walsh said.
It is not to say STU is completely without a female presence because the administration has many. Just last year, STU hired its first female president, Dawn Russell as well as vice-president of research, Gayle MacDonald; Kim Fenwick, dean of social sciences; and Lily Fraser, vice-president of finances.
Gilbert-Walsh says a significant way to help solve this problem is by looking at equity issues.
According to its website, The Faculty Association of the University of St. Thomas (FAUST) “actively supports its members in attaining fair working conditions and benefits that foster quality teaching and research. FAUST also protects academic freedom, seniority, and tenure.”
