Forums Examine Women’s Status in the UC Workforce

Ioana Patringenaru | Oct. 29, 2007

Wanted: better childcare, more flexibility for staff members and better recruitment for graduate students and faculty. These were some of the topics discussed during two forums held on campus Oct. 17 focusing on women in the UC workforce.

The forums focused on women’s concerns, careers and opportunities at the University of California and UCSD campus and were part of a listening tour organized by the Office of the President. The tour’s goal is to find programs that helped promote the empowerment of women on individual campuses and duplicate them, said Linda Williams, the associate president of the University of California. UC officials also want to know what actions can be taken to help women advance at the university, Williams added. “It’s an issue that requires leadership from the top and President Dynes committed to this,” she said.

More than 170 staff members attended a forum that focused on women in the UC workforce.

Officials plan to create a UC-wide Committee on the Status of Women, mirroring groups that exist on several campuses, including UCSD, she said. The university loses it legitimacy if it doesn’t create equal access, said Sheila O’Rourke, assistant vice provost for equity and diversity at the Office of the President. Diversity also creates a stronger academic research environment, she said.

“Gender equity needs to be everyone’s problem,” O’Rourke later said. “Everyone has to take responsibility.”

On Oct. 17 , Williams, O’Rourke and Amy Levine, executive director of the Center for Gender Equity at UC San Francisco, met with Chancellor Marye Anne Fox and held forums for more than 170 staff members and about 40 faculty at UCSD.

Asked what initiatives worked to advance women’s careers, staff members pointed to several training programs. Staff members have access to a large number of internships, said Linda Olvera, an administrative assistant in the Equal Opportunity Staff Affirmative Action office. For example, one position allowed a staff member to help coordinate events for Black History Month and the monthlong Cesar Chavez Celebration, Olvera said.

Staff members also can earn $500 awards to advance their career through the Staff Equal Opportunity Enrichment Program, said Olvera, adding the program has doled out more than $1 million so far. But some staff members said it could be difficult to get the green light from their supervisors to take advantage of these opportunities. Nevertheless, quite a few took down Olvera’s contact information after she spoke.

UCSD also is lucky that key individuals in leadership positions understand issues that affect women, said Emelyn dela Pena, director of the campus’ Women Center. For example, Interim Vice Chancellor Gary Matthews supports providing childcare on campus and Assistant Vice Chancellor Tom Leet supports quality of work-life issues, she said.

UCSD also has a great lactation program for nursing mothers, some women in the audience said. The campus offers about a half a dozen lactation rooms and is adding two more, one on the first floor of the Great Hall at Eleanor Roosevelt College and another in the Media Center at Thurgood Marshall College, dela Pena said.

During the faculty forum, at least one faculty pointed to UCSD’s Academic Enrichment Programs as a successful tool to encourage under-represented students to apply to graduate and professional schools. The programs pair students with mentors and allow undergraduates to conduct research, among other things.

Amy Levine, executive director of the Center for Gender Equity at UC San Francisco, wrote down participant's feedback.

Meanwhile, staff and faculty both pointed to challenges that inhibit the advancement of women on campus. Childcare was mentioned at both forums, with women deploring costs and the lack of childcare spots on campus. Interim Vice Chancellor Matthews has said the campus hopes to add 25 to 50 spots within the next 12 to 18 months. The Early Childhood Education Center also offers subsidized care for families meeting state income guidelines.

Faculty said recruitment of women needed to improve. In 2006, women made up 21.6 percent of faculty at UCSD and 27.9 percent of faculty UC-wide. While women make up 58 percent of high school graduates, 54 percent of UC undergraduates and 48 percent of UC graduate students, they make up 36 percent of UC hires.

Making leaders aware of the data is key, said Jim Posakony, president of UCSD’s Academic Senate and one of a few men who attended the faculty forum Oct. 17. Posakony said he likes the idea of asking department chairs to produce annual reports on gender equity.

“This is really a fundamental issue for the whole University of California,” he said.

Some staff members said the university needed to offer more training for managers, so they will be more willing to let employees take advantage of the opportunities the campus affords, including flex time and classes. While the number of students and faculty on campus has increased, the number of staff members hasn’t, said Natalie Powell, the past chair of the UCSD Staff Association. As a result, coping with an increased workload has become tougher for managers, she said.

The forums earned good reviews from both faculty and staff members.

“This is great,” said Women’s Center Director dela Pena. “It’s time to have a systemwide conversation about these issues.”

The Office of the President is really being proactive, said Linda Zangwill, a researcher at Hamilton Glaucoma Center at UCSD and the former faculty co-chair on UCSD’s Committee on the Status of Women.

“I think it’s fantastic that the Office of the President is taking on addressing this issue from the top,” she said.