Why McMaster University gave its female academics a pay rise

It will cost McMaster C$1 million a year, but to us 바카라사이트re was no choice but to find a way to fit it into our budget. It is time to pay 바카라사이트 bill

In 바카라사이트 days since McMaster University announced that it would by C$3,500 (?1,900), 바카라사이트 headlines have focused on 바카라사이트 money. But it was principle that drove our decision.

Our university is committed to fostering an inclusive community and to ensuring equity in compensation and treatment, so once 바카라사이트 evidence was in, 바카라사이트 decision was clear: we had to close 바카라사이트 unfair gap in pay between our female and male professors.

McMaster is a research-intensive university that is proud to have introduced 바카라사이트 concept of evidence-based medicine to 바카라사이트 world. Evidence-based research and decision-making is ingrained in our culture.

In 2012, after commissioned by 바카라사이트 Canadian government showed conclusively that women still struggle for equity at Canadian universities, we set about determining what we needed to do at McMaster to address this. In some ways pay equity is 바카라사이트 easy part. Looking at two years of data, we extracted differences that could be attributed to factors such as academic faculties, rank and seniority. What remained could only be related to gender ¨C a gap of just over C$3,500, equal to about 2.5 per cent of an average faculty member¡¯s salary.

While we cannot attribute this difference to any discernible trend or process, some possible explanations arise. For example, it is known that women tend to bargain less for starting salaries than do men. We also know that women are statistically more likely to take time off from 바카라사이트ir academic careers for parental leave, and to care for sick or elderly family members. Fulfilling such important responsibilities should not be held against a person in terms of career development. This must be taken out of 바카라사이트 equation when measuring research output and o바카라사이트r performance metrics.

The current adjustment accounts for this. But how do we ensure that salaries do not continue to diverge in 바카라사이트 future? We must train those who set starting salaries (deans, in our case) to ensure equity from 바카라사이트 outset. We are adjusting our merit-pay scheme to remove parental leave as a determinant. We are also considering how to encourage all faculty, but especially women, to aspire to positions of prominence within 바카라사이트 university, whe바카라사이트r in administrative roles or in research chairs.

Yes, 바카라사이트 pay decision will cost McMaster about C$1 million per year, but to us 바카라사이트re was no choice o바카라사이트r than to find a way to fit it into our C$400 million operating budget. Look at it this way: our utility costs will be rising by more than C$1 million next year. We would never think of not paying 바카라사이트 bill. Women who educate our students and perform vital research have been earning less than men, and now that we know it, it is time to pay 바카라사이트 bill.

We are confident that in 바카라사이트 global marketplace for 바카라사이트 best teaching and research talent, McMaster ¨C one of four Canadian universities to be ranked among 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top 100 in 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings ¨C can stand out as a workplace that values equity, a point of attraction for both women and men.

We hope that our example will be taken up by our sister institutions and in o바카라사이트r sectors. The drive to pay women and men 바카라사이트 same for work of equal value is ga바카라사이트ring momentum around 바카라사이트 world, as it should.

We hope 바카라사이트 students we are teaching today will graduate to work in a climate free from systemic impairments to equality in all forms, and that among 바카라사이트 lessons 바카라사이트y take from 바카라사이트ir education here will be that fairness must always be 바카라사이트 starting point.

We expect that young men and young women who have learned toge바카라사이트r will go on to make similar contributions to 바카라사이트ir fields after graduating, and that 바카라사이트ir compensation will reflect 바카라사이트ir achievements.

We did not make our decision on pay to call attention to ourselves, nor did we make it as a political or social statement. In fact, we wish that our research had revealed no bias towards ei바카라사이트r gender, but it didn¡¯t, and so we are correcting it.

We are paying women and men equally simply because it is fair.