11-30-2001





























Gender Climate survey results released


By Joo Eun Kim

Staff Writer

The Gender Climate Survey of Calvin College Faculty was publicly presented after months of research gathering by the hired consultant Selzer and Company on Nov. 14,. The survey, sponsored by the Committee on Gender Equity, was compiled during the summer after the faculty senate approved it. In September, it was sent to 299 Calvin faculty members, and 223 responded, a response rate of 75 percent. This survey was a third of the total project; the surveys on staff and students are yet to come.

According to the result drawn by Selzer and Company, the good news is that faculty are generally satisfied with their lives at Calvin. Moreover, they agree on and support the nature and mission of Calvin. However, the bad news is that there are still some pressures and conflicts that the faculty face regarding their work, and women feel significantly more pressures and conflicts than men. Thus, women's attitudes toward their working environment could be affected and they could leave.

``Generally, the overall picture looks good, but there are some areas where we are concerned,'' said Religion and Theology Professor Kendra Hotz.

Both female and male faculty agree on the need for a child-care center on campus and enhancement of the mentoring system for all new faculty. However, more women show support for reviewing the requirement of sending faculty children to Christian Schools International schools.

The survey seems to indicate that the male faculty have an advantage over the female faculty. The male faculty tend to stay longer at Calvin -- 47 percent of them have stayed here more than 12 years, compared to 20 percent of female faculty. While 60 percent of male faculty are tenured, only 24 percent of female are. In addition, 53 percent of the female tenured faculty do not believe that students perceive male and female faculty as equals, in comparison to only 18 percent of male tenured faculty who answered the same way. All of the of female tenured faculty and 70% of female tenured track faculty believe that there are more advantages to male faculty at Calvin. This feeling has not escaped the students.

``Female professors are much harder than male professors,'' an unnamed female student said. ``I think there is a possibility for a defense mechanism; female professors need to be harder to prove themselves.''

One disappointing figure shown by the survey is that while 76 percent of female faculty believe that Calvin is doing better than other Christian Reformed colleges on gender issue, only 20 percent think that Calvin is doing better than other private liberal arts colleges.

``It's something we should work on,'' Hotz said. ``It's disappointing that other non-Christian colleges are perceived as to be doing better.''

The Calvin community needs to continue to implement changes as among the tenured women faculty who are planning to leave Calvin in the future, 40 percent say that the gender issue is one of the reasons for their decision. The figure is even higher among the tenured track women faculty who are planning on moving elsewhere -- 62 percent.

``If we want to make a climate here where everyone is equal, then we want to make minorities feel welcome,'' said Hotz.

No easy solution can be found. The Calvin community has made small advances toward gender equity as the number of women in tenured positions grew. Calvin also has added Gender Studies Minor, and through this minor, more speakers have been invited on the issue of gender. The Gender Climate Survey can be used as a tool to create even more positive environment.

``The results of the Gender Climate Study show that much remains to be done for and with women faculty,'' said professor Helen Sterk of the CAS Department.