APPENDIX C
Gender Equality Focus Groups for men
3 academic non-managerial and 1 academic managerial
The sample size was very small and the views given are therefore not representative of the University male staff population.
Q1 Contribution of Policies, Practices, Provisions and Criterion (PPPCs) to gender equality
The current opportunities for flexible working contribute to gender equality. This includes not only formal policies, but also informal practices which empower the individual to exercise professional discretion over the time at which university work is done and which enable men to use holiday during term time in order to enhance paternity leave. This also avoids the promotion of a victim mentality where the employer dictates rigid attendance and working hours requirements.
Q2 Ways in which PPPCs disadvantage men, women and LGBT people
In some areas of the university there is a tolerance of anti-male views by management which is obstructive to academic collaboration.
Promotion policies are being inconsistently translated into practice because of informal encouragement and discouragement being given to some staff by some managers.
The statutory provision for paternity leave is inadequate, both in terms of time and payment, and therefore disadvantages men.
Q3 Main areas for action
The formalisation, into a policy, of the current practice in some areas which enables those with caring responsibilities to work on a fractional contract with a guarantee of a restoration to a full–time contract when personal circumstances permit. Indeed this flexibility should be available to all staff, both men and women, in pursuit of work/life balance, and not just those with caring responsibilities.
Timetabling of teaching which takes account of the child care responsibilities of men.
Enhance nursery facilities for staff to give equal opportunity to staff and to students, and also synchronise nursery opening times with working hours.
Enhance paternity leave and payment beyond the statutory minima in order to put men on a similar footing to women who receive maternity pay and leave. In addition, proper cover to be put in place during paternity leave to reduce the backlog of work on return from paternity leave.
There is a need for scrutiny of the PPPCs in relation to part-time hourly paid academic staff who need to be brought into the gender equality net.
Consider positive action, but not positive discrimination, to address male or female under-representation in some academic departments.
Q4 Other issues
No problem with single sex focus groups, but the addition of mixed gender focus groups would have added value.
Gender equality, as opposed to sex equality, is a socially constructed notion and as a result it means different things to different people. This presents challenges when communicating the gender equality agenda.
Whilst an equal opportunities approach which pursues equal treatment for all is supported, an equal outcomes approach is vehemently rejected. Intense scepticism about quotas and targets prevailed with a view expressed that these are unethical and a violation of human rights.
Connected with the point above, if decision-making relating to staff throughout the university is fair and on merit the outcomes take care of themselves, obviating the need for quotas and targets in relation to male and female representation.
Seeking to represent men and women equally at all levels assumes that the ability pool from which the university appoints is proportionately represented by men and women for each job, the focus group were not aware of any evidence which could verify this assumption. There was therefore a rejection of the notion of seeking to represent women and men equally at each level. It is therefore misdirected to assume that women are underrepresented and an expression of this by the University is de facto prejudicial towards men.
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Gender Equality Scheme 2007 – 2010 APPENDIX C