SOUTH AFRICA: Advancing women in higher education

Although strides have been made, women academics are still losing out to male colleagues at South African universities, especially at the senior level. Pervasive patriarchal attitudes, the lingering effects of apartheid and a woman's childbearing responsibilities are the major challenges faced by female educators as they climb the career ladder, and statistics show their situation hasn't improved much this past decade.

But a Cape Town-based non-profit organisation is working tirelessly to enhance the status of women in higher education throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Launched in 2002 with funding from the Andrew W Mellon Foundation, HERS-SA advocates for and contributes to the career development of female academics.

"The lack of female leadership is a widespread issue," said Sabie Surtee, HERS-SA Director. "Sure, in South Africa we have a high representation of females in cabinet and parliament, but this is by no means the same situation in other sectors of the economy."

HERS-SA is tackling the issue by offering programmes and support to female educators to equip them with the skills and confidence necessary to advance to a higher level.

The organisation's flagship project is the annual HERS-SA Academy, now in its eighth year. The week-long academy, held every September at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business, gives women the chance to network, attend workshops, and draw on the expertise of various speakers.

Aimed at women who currently hold a senior academic position or who wish to prepare for such a role, the academy seeks to empower female educators so they may achieve their career aspirations.

"The academy gives women a rare space to reflect on their lives and careers," said Penny Franz, a HERS-SA representative.

The academy has attracted a total of 630 women delegates from across Sub-Saharan Africa since its inception in 2003. A typical day begins with a plenary session, where delegates hear from higher education experts. This is followed by personal choice workshops in the afternoon, which focus on a wide range of issues in the sector. In the evening, a dinner is held, providing attendees with a prime networking opportunity.

"Delegates have often commented on the significance of listening to the experiences of presenters, facilitators and other delegates in allowing them to assess their own positions, shared problems, possible solutions, directions they wish to take and directions they no longer wish to take," said Franz.

But despite HERS-SA's efforts, statistics show little improvement, particularly for women educators in high-level positions.

In 2007, a paltry 24% of professors and associate professors were women, a number that has hardly changed since 2004, when that figure was 25%, according to Council on Higher Education 2009 statistics. The numbers get worse the higher one goes. In 2007, only three of South Africa's 23 vice-chancellors and five of 23 registrars were women, according to HERS-SA.

"Patriarchal norms and practices still pervade in the sphere of work," said Surtee.

Striving to change this, HERS-SA is developing new projects and initiatives to help balance gender representation at the senior level on campuses.

One is the establishment of a longitudinal database that would track the career path of women who have participated in HERS-SA programmes, especially those who have attended the academy. By doing this, HERS-SA hopes to adopt a more research-focused approach to inform its programmes, and to also contribute to wider debates on gender equity in the tertiary education sector.

Also in the pipeline is a mini-academy for HERS-SA delegates who already attended the annual seven-day programme. It would be a more intense, specialised version of its sibling, attended by women at similar career levels. Surtee said the demand is huge for such a venture.

"We have received many requests from HERS-SA delegates for the need to have access to a shorter three- or four-day programme to contribute on an ongoing basis to their knowledge and skills base, to improve their chances for career advancement," she said. "There is clearly a need for a shorter academy for our alumni."

HERS-SA is also looking abroad to widen its scope. The organisation grew from HERS Mid-America which, since 1975, has provided professional development opportunities for women educators in the United States. The two organisations are in the process of establishing a more formal collaboration, to ensure both chapters meet the same high standards.

The organisations will also continue the tradition of hosting female leaders from their respective countries. In September 2008, for example, the US-based Association for Black Women in Higher Education partnered with HERS to lead a study tour to South Africa, which included attending the 2008 HERS-SA Academy. And next year Surtee, sponsored by HERS Mid-America, will be attending the organisation's two-week summer institute in Denver, Colorado.

"This will no doubt lead to the fostering of even closer ties between the two chapters," said Surtee.

Both Surtee and Franz said there is no one solution to improving the status of women in higher education. The issue is complex and appointing women to satisfy a quota system is far from ideal.

Franz said there should be more lenient job requirements for women who have spent time away from the workplace due to family commitments. For instance, their expected research output should be less than their male competition's.

Another problem is that selection committees tend to skew heavily towards males, and as a result, male candidates are more likely to be appointed, a situation that has to change, said Franz.

Yet she stresses that HERS-SA is pro-women, not anti-men. "We have received significant support from many of our male colleagues and regularly invite male speakers when they are leaders in their field," said Franz.

But it is the support and camaraderie of the HERS sisterhood that could make the greatest difference.

"One area in which change can be made is mentoring and we hope that Academy delegates have returned to their institutions with the realisation of the importance of mentoring, nurturing and networking with female staff members," said Franz.