Untenured and Tenuous: The Status of Women Faculty

Issues of equity in higher education have assumed prominence with the development of laws seeking to abolish sex discrimination. The status of women on faculties thus has become a subject for widespread study and debate. A historical sketch of women's participation in the professoriate is followed by a more detailed overview of the positions they hold, how they are distributed among institutions, what they are paid, and what functions they perform. Numerous studies in this field agree that women faculty are overconcentrated in the least prestigious institutions and in the lower ranks, carry a disproportionate share of teaching loads especially at introductory levels, and are seriously underpaid at all levels when rank, field, Ph.D. cohort, type of institution, and work functions are held constant. Evidence is adduced which suggests that such faculty distributions and reward systems may adversely affect the quality of education and of scholarly research. Implications for higher education policy are discussed.