Gender Inequality: Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University - Research Paper Example

Gender inequality: Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code & Name: Date of Submission: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Abstract 3 Introduction 3 Methodology 4 Primary research 4 Secondary research 5 Bias 5 Facts 5 Gender inequality in academia 5 Correlation between gender equality and development 6 Gender equality at ERAU 6 Survey 6 Analysis 8 Causal analysis 8 Comparative analysis 9 Feasibility analysis 9 Conclusion 10 References 10 Abstract Gender equality can be perceived as the notion of all human beings being free to advance the abilities at individual level and engage in choice-making process without being subjected to confines set by stringent gender roles; that the diversity in behavior, needs and ambitions of men and women are appreciated, considered and esteemed in equal measures. Despite profound efforts to achieve the aforementioned goal in regard to access to education, employment among other areas, gender inequality still remains a major challenge in many countries around the globe. Against this background, this analytical report discusses the causes and effects of gender inequality at Embry-Riddle Aeronautic University. In addition, it explores the current measures being undertaken by the university aimed at the achievement of gender equality as well as ideal interventions which can be implemented in order to surmount the inherent challenges. A survey was conducted on 31 students. 80.6% of the respondents cited their dissatisfaction with the number of females at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with more than half of the informants citing their preference for increased number of females in the university. The benefits of institutional gender equality include but not limited to heightened creativity and innovation among the women and increased encouragement of the girl child in the society. Warth (2009) determined that several studies have indicated a positive relationship between gender equality in management terms and increased financial performance. Improved gender equality at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will entail increasing both female enrollment and female faculty and staff on campus. Introduction Gender equality and the empowerment of women are key to the eventual attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MGDs), most notably goal 3 which focuses on promoting gender equality and empowerment. While this latter goal was being set, the stakeholders were cognizant of the fundamental contribution that women make towards the socio-economic development and the costs to diverse societies as well as the enormous impediments and disadvantages which confront women in almost all the countries at the global scale (United Nations Development Programme, 2005). Nonetheless, it is an apparent fact that glaring gender inequality exists mostly in education institutions which is the central focus of this analytical report. Education policies and actions have continuously failed to take gender equality into account or more worse flunked in the process of enrolling the female students in diverse courses, some of which are considered to be male oriented as well as enabling women to be principle actors in the decision-making processes at the different levels of the organizational structure. This phenomenon is evident at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University whereby a survey revealed that much of the gender inequality is directly related to the number of females who are either enrolled or employed at the university. This has a direct correlation to the inequality in the number of females who exclusively serve as professionals in fields which are related to science and technology, engineering and mathematics. It is also worth noting that since the instigation of accepting women at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1967, only 11, 000 graduates have been female with the 17% of the overall enrollment in the university being women. Despite the multiple efforts to heighten this percentage both in the short and long term, it is apparent that a profound holistic approach in policy making ought to be undertaken if at all positive impacts in gender equality is to be achieved. Majority of the people are not fully aware of the extensive benefits which can stem from heightening the level of gender equality in the educational realms. However, it is evident from the survey conducted at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University that most of the respondents would prefer increased female participation at different levels of the university structure as well as the enrollment of female students at the institution as previously mentioned in the preceding section. This is parallel to the phenomenon in the faculty at American colleges and universities whereby recent years have seen the refurbished and robust debates in regard to the advancement of women opportunities in these institutions (West & Curtis, 2006). Against this background, heightened gender equality at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will culminate in cultivating elevated performance of the female employees and students, which will have extended impacts on the wider society. This will also be in accordance with diverse gender empowerment objectives as highlighted in different goals both at regional and global scale. The primary purpose of this report is to convey the benefits that can emanate from the minimization of gender inequality in the above learning institution as well as identifying feasible interventions which can be effectively formulated and implemented geared towards addressing this gap. Methodology Primary research An interview was conducted with Ms. Meredi Jiloty who is my professor at her office. This was chief in hypothesis testing in regard to my assumptions related to the situation of gender imbalance at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. This interview provided not only the factual foundation about the past and present situation about gender equality in the institution but also pointed out at prudent measures which are being implemented in order to surmount this challenge. The response by Ms. Jiloty was imperative in pointing at the most ideal direction of continued research as well as identifying viable future interventions to curtail gender inequality. 1. Student survey A survey was conducted among a representative sample of 31 students from different gender, ethnic and regional background. This was aimed at getting sufficient information in regard to their preference about the gender ration at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as well as their feeling towards the possible instigation of diverse majors like arts, law and economics in the institution. The survey questionnaire primarily contained closed questions in order to generate substantial quantitative data. Future research could entail a synergy of both structured and unstructured questionnaires in order to generate both qualitative and quantitative data which will be chief in enriching the viability of the inferences. Moreover, it ought to use a larger sample in order to produces diversity and precision of opinions. Secondary research Two rudimentary sources which were chief in supporting my theories were selected after a rigorous search in the university database. I. An article by Monroe, Ozyurt, Wrigley and Alexander (2008) which expounded on the issue of gender equality in academia. This article was imperative in informing the research by giving a comprehensive insight in regard to the gender inequality paradox in higher learning institutions. II. An analysis by West and Curtis (2006) which gave an insight into the prevalent trends and current situation of gender balance in enrollment into different institutions as well as employment of either gender into various faculties. Bias I had previously presumed that the issue of gender equality is merely connected to the three waves of feminism as analyzed by Krolokke (2005). Against this backdrop, I continuously perceived the advocating for gender equality both in learning institutions and in employment areas as a perfect recipe for social instability, but not as a profound effort towards development in the society. The extensive antagonism in the process of campaigning for gender equality in the past left me convinced that if these tenets are entrenched in academia, they would have detrimental impacts on the systems as well as the individuals and collectives in these institutions. Nonetheless, I am now convinced that heightened achievement of gender balance in institutions of higher learning will be central in propelling development efforts at the global scale. Facts Gender inequality in academia Diverse statistics using salary and employment figures to measure gender discrimination have pointed to the fact that there is no difference between academia and the wider society. This is founded on the reality that in both groups, there is a massive variance in regard to how professional men and women are treated. It is worth noting that there is relative equity at the lower professional echelons but strong evidence has revealed that gender disparity is prevalent in positions of higher salary and more powers (Monroe et. al, 2008). Figure 1.0: Percent female employed by status level Source: Monroe et. al, (2008). This pattern of employment in the academic realm is a clear reflection of the pattern in the wider professional world whereby the position with higher status, wages and power are usually dominated by males (Monroe et. al, 2008). In addition, the enrollment of students, most notably in science oriented courses is confronted by immense gender imbalance with more preference and opportunities being given to men as opposed to women. In this regard, the recognition of discrimination which emanates from the differential valuation of what men and women contribute in the society should be a prerequisite in the move towards substantive gender equality (Subrahmanian, 2005). Correlation between gender equality and development There is a strong link between levels of gender equality and development of any society. This is evidenced by the fact that countries which are characterized by widespread gender imbalance across the diverse realms of their economy exhibit slow growth as opposed to those which embrace equal gender participation (Kanbur, 2002). This is mostly apparent in countries whereby in countries which are characterized by a culture that segregates and discriminates women from particular professions, the level of socio-economic development is often slow. In addition, this is against the major foundation of human rights in the world whereby people should not be discriminated based on their gender, religion among other tenets. In regard to the salary of women which is directly related to development at the most basic family level, women in the general workforce have experienced slow but steady elevation when juxtaposed with men over the last quarter of the last century. This fact is cited by Monroe et. al, (2008) who determined that as of 2003, the overall median income for the female gender was roughly three-fourth of men’s income, which heightened from an approximated 56% in the 1970s. Gender equality at ERAU The initial observation at the institution had revealed that there is widespread gender inequality in the institution. Survey The survey included 31 students. 19.4% of the students are satisfied with the number of females at ERAU 80.9% of the students are not satisfied with the number of females at ERAU Figure 1.1 Figure 1.2 90.3% of the respondents were male 9.7% of the respondents were female 65.5% of the respondents cited high expectation of more girls before being admitted at ERAU 34.5% of the respondents cited high expectation of more girls before being admitted at ERAU 67.7% of the informants cited their preference for increased female teachers in the institution 32.3% of the informants were against the increasing of the number of female teachers at EARU 77.4% of the respondents expressed their dissatisfaction with gender diversity in the institution 22.6% of the respondents cited being content with the gender diversity at EARU 77.4% of the respondents cited their preference for the addition of more majors at EARU 22.6% of were against the addition of more majors at EARU In regard to the question on the perception of the respondents on what percentage of the students at EARU is male, there was variance of responses as depicted in the subsequent graph. Figure 1.3 Figure 1.4 Analysis Causal analysis The primary cause of gender inequality in regard to employment and enrollment of females in the university is related to the inequality of females who serve in science and technology, engineering and mathematics related fields. In this regard, most of the professions which are primarily perceived as being male oriented attract few female involvement and participation. Based on the fact that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is primarily engaged in offering science oriented courses, it attracts less female students which accounts for the low enrollment of female when juxtaposed with male students. This can be perceived as the key motivation behind the preference of additional majors like law, arts and economics among other courses by the survey respondents as highlighted in the preceding section. However, the interview with Ms. Jiloty revealed that there is a projection that as awareness, scholarships and post-graduation employment opportunities in aerospace and aviation continue to heighten, this will be concurrent with the enrollment of female students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Comparative analysis There are three-fold characterizations of rights in education as analyzed by Wilson (2003). These are rights to education, rights within education and rights through education. This influences the number of females who are usually enrolled in learning institutions in diverse countries around the globe. However, it is imperative to note that a holistic approach is paramount in the efforts towards the application of the rights in institutions of higher learning. As previously mentioned, gender equality is also evident in employment realms with majority of the professions which are of lower echelon depicting relative gender equality but this situation declines as one moves higher in the professional ladder. This is directly related to the earnings ratio and the salary trend between these two poles. This is depicted in the subsequent graph. Figure 1.3: Salary trends, 1960-2006, female-to-male earnings ratio and median earnings of full-time, year round workers. Source: Monroe et. al, (2008). This reveals that stringent strategies ought to be formulated and implemented in order to address the issues gender inequality, both in schools enrollment and employment fields. Feasibility analysis From a technical perspective, there are no laws in many democratic societies which prevent the implementation of gender equality policies in schools. In actual sense, most regional and global policies and agreements encourage enhanced gender equality in all regions towards improved development. Nonetheless, it is imperative to be cognizant of the fact that diverse challenges based on cultural orientation and religion tenets impede the efforts towards gender equality. In addition, prior to the implementation of the policies aimed at increasing gender equality in institutions of higher learning, mostly in those which have specific disciplines orientation, the stakeholders in this effort ought to consider the overall impact of these policies in regard to education quality, infrastructural development and human capital necessary to support these endeavors. Lastly, a synergy of inputs from all the stakeholders in the wider learning institution, governmental organs and even the students themselves ought to be embraced. This will ensure heightened cooperation while the students will feel consulted and their views incorporated. This is key in ensuring policy ownership and sustainability. Conclusion From the above discourse, it is apparent that Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is confronted with an enormous challenge that it needs to surmount in the efforts to address the issue of gender inequality in the institution. Despite the fact that majority of the students cite their dissatisfaction with the number of females in the institution, great caution ought to be observed while implementing policies aimed at addressing this paradox at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. This is founded on the fact that for any policy to be successful in achieving the set objectives, it must reflect the values in the institution as well as being accepted by the stakeholders. This is chief in ensuring its short and long-term sustainability. References Kanbur, R., (2002). Education, Empowerment and Gender Inequalities. New York: Cornell University. Krolokke (2005).Three Waves of Feminism;From Suffragettes to Grrls. Retrieved June 10, 2012, from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/6236_Chapter_1_Krolokke_2nd_Rev_Final_Pdf.pdf Monroe, K., Ozyurt, S., Wrigley, T., &Alexander, A. (2008). Gender Equality in Academia: Bad News from the Trenches,and Some Possible Solutions, Perspectives on Politics, 6(2), 215-233. Subrahmanian, R., (2005). Gender equalityin education: Definitions and measurements. International Journal of Educational Development, 25, 395–407. United Nations Development Programme (2005). Taking Action: Achieving Gender Equality and Empowering Women. New York: Earthscan. Warth, L. (2009). Gender Equality and the Corporate Sector. Geneva: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. West, M.S. & Curtis, J.W. (2006). AAUP Faculty Gender Equity Indicators 2006. Washington D.C. American Association of University Professors. Read More