Dear University of Idaho Community Members,
March is Women’s History Month. This year, we are also celebrating the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Conciliation Agreement, which established permanent funding for a director for the Women’s Center, created (under a different name) the Office of Human Rights, Access and Inclusion, included a specific directive for undergraduate recruitment through the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and mandated the hiring of female professionals to offer health care services for women on campus. In the spring of 1987, Athena, the organization for faculty and professional women, began. In the years that followed, we have seen increases in the number of women enrolling and graduating from the University of Idaho, as well as a tandem rise in the number of female faculty. It is in this spirit and at this time that we would like to remind the campus community that progress has been made, but there is still much work left to do.
As is clear in the University of Idaho’s Strategic Plan, “a climate that is civil and respectful” is central to the success of all students, staff and faculty. We are reminded in this same document that “future successes are achievable only when all voices and perspectives are included and valued.” Thus, this is a fitting time to say we affirm the importance and value of work done by women at this university for its past, present and future successes.
Gender roles are evolving, and it is no longer the case that men and women must choose between career and family. In current economic times, it is far more typical that for the majority of households, all adults are working adults. Yet, women’s rewards for that work are often hampered by interpersonal, institutional and structural inequalities that devalue women’s labor. Financially, women typically make less than their male counterparts across all ranks and occupations. Furthermore, women are often expected to do additional labor at work, despite making less money. At the university, for example, women end up serving on extra committees and advising a larger number of students than male colleagues. This work is essential to the university, but is often invisible when it comes to promotions and increased compensation.
Traditional assumptions about gender roles and family composition persist, and frame women as having primary responsibility for child and elder care, creating inequitable perceptions about the contributions of women in the workplace. However, the reality of today’s families demonstrate that increasingly, men and women face a second shift once they leave work, whether caring for young children, aging parents or other dependents. Further, we continue with stereotypes that family life somehow is disadvantaged if women work, as well as the reality that if women choose to step out of their career to be home full time, they face a disadvantage when returning to the workforce. These are not biologically determined inequities, nor are they without solutions. Formal workplace policies that allow for the flexibility to combine care work with paid employment for both men and women are the hallmark of successful organizations. These kinds of policies are directly related to workplace satisfaction for all employees, but they are particularly important in retaining women.
Whether as members of the UI faculty, staff or student body, women’s achievements highlight the critical role of women in the university’s overall success. Despite this, we are sometimes faced with a chilly workplace climate, and the discouraging reality that role assignment continues, and our work is not valued for its merits. The UI’s commitment to a campus that values civility and respect is heartening. We are further encouraged by the fact that these are problems with solutions, solutions that the university has actively pursued, and has invested energy and time to address.
As proud Vandals, let us use this moment to examine how we can all play a role in creating a community and workplace that rewards and supports women.
Signed,
Women’s Center
Athena Board
Carmen Suarez, CDO, Division of Diversity and Human Rights
Mario Reyes, Dean, College of Business and Economics
John Foltz, Dean, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
Mark Hoversten, Dean, College of Art and Architecture
Cori Mantle-Bromley, Dean, College of Education
Larry Stauffer, Dean, College of Engineering
Jie Chen, Dean, College of Graduate Studies
Michael Satz, Interim Dean, College of Law
Katherine Aiken, Acting Dean, College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences
Kurt Pregitzer, Dean, College of Natural Resources
Paul Joyce, Dean, College of Science
Lynn Baird, Dean, University of Idaho Libraries