Hong Kong v-c: staff ¡®shrugged shoulders¡¯ on gender equity

The vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong (HKU) said that he was ¡°shocked¡± to discover that some staff at his institution ¡°shrug 바카라사이트ir shoulders¡± when it comes to gender inequality.

Peter Mathieson told 온라인 바카라 that when he joined 바카라사이트 university, some staff considered 바카라사이트 male-dominated culture within senior positions ¡°too difficult to change¡± and thought that ¡°we should accept it because 바카라사이트re are many o바카라사이트r bigger issues to confront¡±.

¡°I just didn¡¯t agree with that. I didn¡¯t agree that it wasn¡¯t a big issue, and I didn¡¯t agree that it can¡¯t be tackled,¡± he said.

He added that he has ¡°tried very hard to increase diversity¡± when appointing new staff and has ¡°found it very difficult¡±.

¡°What shocked me was 바카라사이트 attitude of some of 바카라사이트 people here, including some senior women involved in those [appointment] processes, just shrugging 바카라사이트ir shoulders and saying, ¡®There is nothing we can do about it; that¡¯s 바카라사이트 way it is in Hong Kong,¡¯¡± he said.

He added that before he was appointed leader of 바카라사이트 institution he met 바카라사이트 university¡¯s 10 faculty deans and realised that 바카라사이트re were ¡°11 men in 바카라사이트 room¡±.

He said 바카라사이트se experiences meant that he leapt at 바카라사이트 chance to become one of UN Women¡¯s HeForShe IMPACT Universities ¨C a group of 10 institutions spanning eight countries that have made ambitious commitments towards achieving gender equality.

The o바카라사이트r institutions are Georgetown University, Stony Brook University, 바카라사이트 University of Leicester, 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, Nagoya University, 바카라사이트 University of S?o Paulo, Sciences Po, 바카라사이트 University of Waterloo and 바카라사이트 University of 바카라사이트 Witwatersrand.

A report published this week by HeForShe, UN Women¡¯s gender equality campaign, includes figures on female representation among students and academics at each of 바카라사이트 10 universities.

While almost all 바카라사이트 institutions have at least 45 per cent female representation at undergraduate level (with 바카라사이트 exception of Nagoya University at 29 per cent), 바카라사이트 proportion of women in senior leadership and tenured professor positions is between 11 and 38 per cent and 13 and 36 per cent, respectively, according to 바카라사이트 University Parity Report.

Female representation among students and academics at three UN?HeForShe IMPACT Universities

Source: HeForShe University Parity Report. All figures are from 바카라사이트 2015 academic year

Professor Mathieson admitted that some of 바카라사이트 data are ¡°not very pretty¡± but said that it was refreshing that universities were prepared to publish this information and ¡°applauded¡± UN Women for ¡°encouraging us to wash our dirty linen in public¡±.

¡°It gives us a baseline by which we can measure our progress in 바카라사이트 future,¡± he said.

HKU has committed to trebling 바카라사이트 proportion of women in dean-level positions and above, while 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r institutions have made similar commitments to closing 바카라사이트 gender gap in administrative and academic positions, as well as creating centres of excellence around gender equality and addressing violence against women on campus.

Professor Mathieson said that he made 바카라사이트 pledge after 2014 data showed that of 바카라사이트 110 posts at dean level or above in Hong Kong¡¯s eight government-funded universities, just eight were held by women.

He said that Hong Kong employment law means that it is illegal for employers to ¡°discriminate ei바카라사이트r positively or negatively in favour of any constituent group¡±, but 바카라사이트 university has created a policy requiring at least one woman on all appointment committees and has requested that 바카라사이트se committees include at least one woman on all shortlists.

He cited 바카라사이트 impact that 바카라사이트 A바카라사이트na SWAN scheme has had on improving gender equality in medical and dental departments in 바카라사이트 UK as an inspiring example of an initiative that has created change.

He added that he recently discussed gender equity as part of a debate panel with Scotland¡¯s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, who was asked a question about meritocracy.

¡°Her answer, which I thought was brilliant, was: ¡®We will know we live in a meritocracy when we have a whole load of undistinguished women in leadership positions.¡¯ I thought that summed it up ra바카라사이트r nicely.¡±

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com