Editor's Note: This is the final article in a five-part series exploring the status of female employees at Ohio University.
Women at Ohio University have lost hard-fought ground on gender equity, according to the university's ombudsman.
It's hard to describe clearly as of yet
but one can anticipate what will be apparent within a few years by ... noticing who is being hired into management noticing who is losing their jobs hearing the stories of women being shouted at in meetings by highly placed leaders ... and the resistance to finding remedies
wrote Merle Graybill in the 2008-2009 Annual Ombudsman's Report.
Graybill, who served as ombudsman from 2008 to 2010, said that she compiled this information from anonymous female student and faculty sources.
Of the 50 visitors to the ombudsman during the last academic year, 30 were female. Most visitors were students or administrative staff members, according to the report.
Graybill also organized the 188 incidents reported to her office into 9 main categories, and 17 of the incidents were diversity or discrimination-related. Those include cases of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality and sexual orientation, in addition to gender.
However, it is difficult to determine from statistical data whether other categories may have included cases that were sparked by underlying discrimination.
A lot of the things described there seem to be based on anecdotal info
which certainly merits attention
but also further investigation and research
said Becky Watts, chief of staff to OU President Roderick McDavis.
Mary Keifer received tenure as a business law professor in 1980 and said that she was hired more than 30 years ago because she was a woman and was part of an informal affirmative action policy.
One cannot guarantee that the root of a workplace problem is directly related to sex and not any other variable, Keifer said.
In some ways there is (low morale)
but it depends on the area
she said. ... Some women feel there are some problems
but whether it is a gender issue per se is what I'm not sure of.
OU's Women's Commission, a volunteer group composed of female faculty and staff, also compiles an annual report based on data found about salary and hiring inequities. The report showed that, on average, women's salaries are lower than men's at every faculty rank and at almost every administrative and classified category.
In addition, women hold approximately 95 percent of clerical and secretarial positions, jobs that offer the lowest average salary. The report also indicated that, as compared to national averages, OU has fewer women in tenure-track positions.
Women's Commission member Christine Gidycz said that the commission also wants an increase in publishing the accomplishments of women at OU.
For example, only two of the last 50 distinguished professor annual award recipients have been women. The selection committee for this award consists of previous recipients, which might contribute to the lack of diversity in the award, Gidycz said.
Even small solutions, like providing childcare for student mothers, might help bridge the gap, said Susanne Dietzel, the director of the OU Women's Center.
No matter how much men are stepping up to the plate
women are still doing the majority of the work
