Overview of equality issues in higher education: A HEFCE Perspective

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Welcome
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Overview of equality issues in higher education
A HEFCE Perspective

• ECU Conference 4-5 November 2008
• David Eastwood
• Chief Executive
• Higher Education Funding Council for England

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The Future of Higher Education White paper, 2004

• Education must be a force for opportunity and
  social justice, not for the entrenchment of
  privilege. We must make certain that the
  opportunities that higher education brings are
  available to all those who have the potential to
  benefit from them, regardless of their
  background. This is not just about preventing
  active discrimination it is about working
  actively to make sure that potential is
  recognised and fostered wherever it is found.

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Where we were

• Legislation including new positive duties for
  gender, race disability
• ECU established in 2001
• HEI race equality policy evaluation 2002
• HEFCE single equality scheme 2006

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Where we are now Our strengths

• Widening participation between 2003/4 and 2006/7
  student numbers have risen by 11.5
• Ethnic minorities now have high levels of
  representation in higher education, making up 15
  of all students, compared with 6 of the working
  age population.
• Huge gains in equal pay across the sector
  following the introduction of job evaluations
• Disabled students now account for 6.9 of the
  student population, a rise of 67.7 since the
  year 2000-2001
• In 2006, 42 of senior management posts in UK
  universities were held by women, compared to 28
  in 2003.
• The percentage of female professors has almost
  doubled from 9 in 1995 to 17.5 in 2006.
• Enrolment of international students in the UK is
  14 of the total. The UK remains the second most
  popular destination country. US takes 20 of the
  market, we take 11.

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The story in numbers

• Data tells us the story and offers up the
  questions
• What is the problem?
• How might we solve it?
• Does this solution work?

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12 year growth of BME academic staff (1995/96-
2006/07)
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12 year growth of female academic staff by grade
(1995/96- 2006/7)
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12 year growth of permanent academic staff
declared disabled (1995/96-2006/07)
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Remaining challenges

• Degree attainment differentials both in terms of
  gender and race
• Outcomes and not just results
• 14 of UK vice-chancellors only 19 at present -
  are women
• We know almost nothing about the experiences of
  lesbian, gay and bisexual students and staff in
  HE
• Gender segregation in the sciences
• White working class boys are now the least likely
  group of people to go to university.

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The Single Equality Bill

• HE sector well positioned for the new duty
  already protect staff as well as students
• Many institutions already engage with students
  from different faith groups and age groups and
  promoting good campus relations is integral to
  their work already
• Where the duty is likely to have impact is in
  requiring a more systematic and evidence based
  approach to all the equality areas (particularly
  sexual orientation and religion and belief)

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What impact will this have on HE?

• Additional positive duties to promote age,
  sexual orientation and religion or belief
• Procurement According to the report, 30 per
  cent of British companies are contracted by the
  public sector.
• Positive Action Selecting between two equally
  qualified candidates.
• Equal Pay Institutions will be expected to
  conduct equal pay job evaluations and audits and
  publish the difference between pay of men and
  women.

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The real equality issues

• Equality issues are, for the first time for ALL
• Boys and girls are we achieving real equality if
  boys are being left out of the equation?
• Dealing with and accommodating different styles
  of working (i.e. work life balance)
• Taking positive action and will this address the
  real issues it is not about selection but
  rather, widening our pool of applicants

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What is HEFCE doing to support this work?

• Funding the Equality Challenge Unit
• BME race forum
• ATHENA SWAN charter scheme
• Detailed study on the experiences of LGBT staff
  and students in HE
• Religious dialogue groups

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Supporting Students

• ECU expanded remit since 2006
• Disability Equality Partnership since 2006
• AIM higher programmes encouraging boys
  participation
• Degree attainment project
• Annual monitoring of equality progress through
  HEIs' Annual Monitoring Statements (will include
  disability gender from 2008)

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HEFCE's Leadership, Governance, and Management
Fund- Sector led key driver of change

• To date, the LGM Fund has supported ED related
  projects totalling over 750K
• For example
• Developing mentoring programme for senior
  managers - Univ of Wolverhampton
• Flexible employment options - Univ of
  Staffordshire
• Regional Network of Staff advisory Groups for 6
  strands- LJMU
• Position of EO Officer within HEIs - HEEON
• Same but Different DVD workbook - Univ of
  Coventry
• Most recently
• Best Practice for Age Diversity - Oxford Brookes

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HEFCES Vision

• Strategic Plan 2006-11
• To support the continuing development of people,
  and of an organisational culture in HEIs, that is
  representative of society as a whole and delivers
  high quality provision now and in the future
• Key Performance Target
• By 2010-11 the HE workforce at a sector level
  will have increased proportions of female staff,
  disabled staff, and staff from black and minority
  ethnic groups in senior positions, taken from a
  baseline established in 2003-04

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Future Challenges for HE

• Embedding the new equality and human rights
  agenda in particular, sexual orientation,
  religion Belief, and Age equality
• Looking at issues of multiple identities
• Need for improved EO data on national level
• Flexible retirement
• Accommodating religious needs in secular
  institutions
• Developing benchmarks to measure progress and
  improved outcomes for equality data in HE
• Making our single equality scheme more strategic
• Harnessing the research power of higher education
• How best to support HEIs? Need your input.