Dr. Temitope Omotola Odusanya, Esq., ACG, affectionately known as “Temi” is a distinguished academic and dynamic leader of the Master of Laws (LLM) Programme at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, Scotland. As an award-winning lecturer (Assistant Professor) in law and a post-doctoral expert, she is fervently committed to advancing global gender parity and enhancing corporate governance. Temi’s multifaceted career encompasses roles as a scholar, chartered legal executive, and chartered governance professional, all underpinned by a passion for innovative education. With rich experience across Nigeria, India, and the UK, she tirelessly champions excellence in teaching, impactful research, and transformative public policy. As the visionary founder of the Gender Parity Initiative and a sought-after global keynote speaker, Temi inspires others to embrace lifelong learning and empowerment through education. Her consulting work with law firms and institutions further amplifies her mission to create meaningful change in society.
Gender parity in academia goes beyond achieving a statistical balance between men and women. This is at the heart of the UN SDGs notably goals 4 and 5 which cater to quality education and gender equality. It involves the creation of an enabling environment where all genders have equal access to educational opportunities, leadership roles, and the resources they need to triumph. As global conversations around gender equality intensify, the role of academia, especially higher education is crucial. This function is fundamental in shaping the future by educating the next generation of leaders, innovators, and thinkers. However, despite significant progress, gender disparities in academia persist, particularly in leadership positions and certain academic fields, such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
To achieve true gender parity, educators, institutions, and policymakers must collaborate to implement structural changes, promote inclusion, and eliminate gender bias. This article therefore explores actionable steps to move toward gender parity in academia, ensuring that institutions of higher learning become engines of equality, opportunity, and growth.
Understanding Gender Disparities in Academia
In many countries, women have surpassed men in University enrolment. UNESCO data reveals that globally, more women than men are enrolled in higher education institutions, a trend that has been growing over the last few decades. However, this measurement masks the deeper, systemic issues of inequality. While women may outnumber men in University admissions, they remain underrepresented in leadership positions, prestigious research roles, and certain academic disciplines and STEM fields.
For example, young girls are often discouraged from pursuing STEM education, as these subjects are seen as traditionally “male” domains. Cultural stereotypes, societal gender role expectations, and the scarcity of role models contribute to the underrepresentation of women in these fields. Consequently, the gender gap widens as women ascend the academic ladder, leading to their underrepresentation in senior academic and top leadership roles.
Promoting Gender Parity: Steps for Educational Institutions
To address disparities, educational institutions must be intentional about achieving gender parity. These steps include policy reforms, mentorship programmes, and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
Institutions must adopt gender-responsive policies that address the unique challenges women face in academia. This includes equitable hiring practices, transparent promotion criteria, and flexible work environments that accommodate the realities of family care responsibilities, which disproportionately fall on women.
Equitable policies on hiring practices are essential to eliminate bias by ensuring that job advertisements, recruitment strategies, and interview panels are diverse and inclusive. Institutions should also conduct regular audits of their hiring processes to identify and address implicit biases. Promotion criteria in academia must be transparent. Promotion often privileges traditional male-dominated fields or activities, such as publishing in high-impact journals. Universities should review their promotion policies to ensure they recognise contributions like mentoring, teaching, and service, where women often excel but are less rewarded.
The demands of academic life-long hours, research, and travel can be particularly challenging for women with caregiving responsibilities. Offering a flexible work environment, work schedules, parental leave, and on-campus childcare facilities can help mitigate these challenges and create a more equitable working environment. Mentorship programmes can be highly effective in supporting women’s advancement in academia. By connecting female students and junior academics with senior female faculty, institutions can help foster a sense of belonging and provide valuable guidance on career progression can be highly beneficial for women looking to break the glass ceiling in academia.
Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy
Education systems must be designed to reflect and promote gender equality further than token mentions or quotas. This can be achieved through curricula that are inclusive and challenge traditional gender roles, as well as teaching practices that encourage participation from all students, regardless of gender.
Encouraging Participation
In the classroom, educators should strive to create a learning environment where all voices are heard. This can involve techniques such as assigning equal speaking time, using diverse examples in lectures, and being mindful of how students are grouped for projects.
The Role of Male Allies in Promoting Gender Parity
Gender parity is not a “women’s issue” but a societal one that requires the involvement of all genders. Male allies in academia play an important role in challenging the status quo and advocating for equality. Male academics can support their female colleagues by advocating for gender parity in hiring and promotion processes, actively challenging sexist behaviour and language in academic settings, speaking out against gender bias, and sharing the burden of service roles, such as committee work, which often falls disproportionately on women.
The Role of Government and Policy Makers
Governments and policymakers also have a crucial role to play in advancing gender parity in academia. They can do this through legislation, funding, and public awareness campaigns. Governments can provide targeted funding for initiatives that encourage women to pursue STEM education and careers. This could include scholarships, grants for female researchers, and funding for outreach programmes aimed at young girls. Policymakers can also launch public awareness campaigns to challenge gender stereotypes and encourage more women to pursue careers in academia, particularly in fields where they are underrepresented.
Conclusion
Achieving gender parity in academia is not just about equal numbers; it is about creating a system where all individuals, regardless of gender, have the opportunity to succeed. By adopting gender-responsive policies, promoting mentorship and leadership programs, fostering inclusive curricula, and engaging male allies, educational institutions can take meaningful steps toward achieving this goal. Governments and policymakers also have a vital role to play in ensuring that higher education becomes a truly equal space for all.
As we work toward gender parity in academia, we are not only empowering individuals but also strengthening the entire educational system. When all genders can contribute fully, the result is a richer, more diverse academic community that is better equipped to address the challenges of the future.