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...report, based on a March 2006 survey of 401 English and foreign-language professors, finds that women take between 1 and 3.5 years longer than men to attain the rank of professor, depending on the size and nature of their school, with the largest gap at private colleges and universities. "That's a staggering difference," says lead author Kathleen Woodward, an English professor at the University of Washington. Worse, the lag time is getting longer. Women now earn more doctorates than men and make up a greater proportion of associate professors, but they're rising through the ranks more slowly...
...instead? Teaching, mostly. Women spend more time (7.5 hours a week) on grading or commenting on student work than men (6 hours). They also spend 10.9 hours a week on course preparation, compared to 9.1 weekly hours for men. While these "microdifferences" are not significant week to week, the report finds, over time they may add up to a "major inequity." Unfortunately, prioritizing student contact rarely leads to getting promoted. One respondent, a female professor at a public university, warned in the free-response portion of the survey of the pitfalls of getting too invested in service work...
...Academic rewards, the report notes, are still largely bestowed by men, who have had decades more time to become ensconced in positions of campus authority. And until more women get promoted to full professorships - the springboards to plum administrative posts - that's unlikely to change. "It's a vicious circle," says Feal...
...meantime, the report concludes, colleges and universities can start closing the gap by beefing up mentoring programs, establishing clear guidelines and paths for promotion, and making sure that women are aware of those guidelines. "Institutions should promote people based on their values," says Feal. "So if they value service to the college community and they value teaching, they should find ways to evaluate professors' entire profile when they consider them for promotion...
...Woodward adds that increasing awareness is key. "I'm not sure women are aware that they are being promoted later," she says. "I think (this report) can cause many women to examine their own behavior...