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Working Together for Change |
Women are on the move in academic dentistry! In a 2003 article in the Journal of Dental Education, the authors cite the strong growth in the number of women deans in academic dentistry. In U.S. dental schools, women now occupy 18 percent (ten of fifty-six) of the dean’s positions nationally, and Canada has had one of its ten dental schools led by a woman.1 Progress has also been noted at the associate and assistant dean levels growing from 28.5 percent in 1991–92 to over 74 percent by 2001–02. In contrast to a situation report at the first AADS International Women’s Leadership Conference held in 1998, women are making progress—but as a profession, we can do more to advance the role of women in senior administrative positions.2
In Virginia Valian’s 1998 book, Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women, the author explains how different women and men are in terms of advancement and how the "glass ceiling syndrome" remains prevalent today.3 She argues that we all have unarticulated, often subconscious ideas about gender that affect both our behavior and, perhaps even more importantly, our evaluations of one another. For example, we may think men are logical, women are social; men are competent, women are flaky. As a result, men are consistently overrated and women underrated by coworkers, bosses, and themselves. The resulting advantages and disadvantages may be small, but they accrue over time to create large gaps in advancement.
As part of the second ADEA International Women’s Leadership Conference, four discussion groups were organized to further explore the strategies to advance women in leadership positions. The "Curriculum and Education" group session focused on potential strategies and approaches for promoting a leadership role for women in education and how institutions might design dental curricula. The group examined the question of the participation and influence of women professors in the evolution of the dental school curriculum based on four themes:
Prior to addressing the four themes, participants were asked to share their own career stories and how they perceived women could advance themselves in academic dentistry. The stories told included the elements of 1) networking: connecting with colleagues who could share thoughts and ideas with a common gender basis; 2) advancing ideas: providing new ideas for the academy to consider to diminish stereotypes and use more participatory administrative styles of collaboration, consensus building, and sharing; 3) curriculum change: reviewing the dental curriculum to minimize bias against women and including core content of women’s health and oral health issues; and 4) change agent: women who are leaders at their own institution serving as the change agents within them.
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Theme 1: The Recruitment of Women Professors by Universities |
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 Top Theme 1: the recruitment... Theme 2: the place...Theme 3: the conciliation...Theme 4: the introduction...SummaryReferences |
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In an American study of 240 new professors in dental schools in 2001, 20 percent of the respondents were women. Among the various factors influencing the choice of an academic career, one of the most important was the influence of mentors and role models. As one author said, "Mentoring activities and creation of opportunities for career development are crucial factors in developing interest in academics among graduate dentists."5
It is essential to find ways to encourage and support talented students who wish to continue on to graduate studies and eventually into an academic career in order to effectively augment the recruitment of women professors by dental faculties. Greater numbers of women professors will translate into greater influence in the development of curriculum.
The questions our group considered were:
In the group discussion, we considered strategies to recruit women professors by universities. Ideas expressed included the expansion beyond the traditional search process of typical recruitment to seek out individuals who have potential to make good faculty members and potential administrators. This would include discussion with other individuals through networking and professional associations. Another idea expressed was to identify women who were interested in "community." This trait is directed at individuals who have shared values of collaboration, consensus building, and a willingness to work with others in sharing ideas and values.
The identification of recent graduates as potential faculty was also discussed. A critical element is to develop newly recruited faculty through a comprehensive faculty enrichment program. We must be very definite about supporting newly recruited women faculty into our institutions. Working with peers to fully understand the university requirements for promotion and tenure and developing an individual faculty plan to ensure success of faculty at that institution are critical elements.
The availability of online learning communities such as Universitas 21 was also mentioned. This international consortium of seventeen member universities representing ten countries was established in 1997 in Australia to facilitate collaboration and cooperation among member universities and create entrepreneurial activities for them on a much larger scale. More information is available at the consortium’s website (www.universitas21.com). In addition, representatives from the United Kingdom mentioned that that country has an Institute on Teaching and Learning, which is directed at enhancing faculty development and would be very appropriate for supporting the recruitment of women professors by universities.
The clear messages coming out of this theme were to look beyond the traditional sources of candidates, ensure an equal search process, proactively identify talented candidates, and once women faculty are recruited, invest in faculty development to ensure the long-term success of the individual.
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Theme 2: The Place of Women in Senior Administrative Positions |
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TopTheme 1: the recruitment...Theme 2: the place...Theme 3: the conciliation...Theme 4: the introduction...SummaryReferences |
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Yet, in spite of progress, the higher up the administrative ladder in Canadian and American universities, the fewer women there are. The statistics for administrative positions held by women in dental faculties in 2002–03 are very clear on this point. In Canada, there are no women deans. Until Diane Lachapelle’s appointment as Vice-Rector at Université Laval in December 2002, she was the only woman to have held the position of dean. Currently, in the United States, 18 percent of such positions are held by women (ten of fifty-six deans). The proportion of women assistant deans has, however, grown considerably to between 41 percent and 50 percent. A relatively high number of women are also in charge of dental curricula: 34 percent in the United States and 50 percent in Canada.
An increase in the number of women professors holding senior faculty and administrative positions can influence the development of the dental curriculum.
The questions our group considered were:
In the group discussion, great interest was expressed in the topic of women assuming senior administrative positions. It was noted that there is "no road map" that any one individual could follow to attain a senior administrative position. Critical elements for success include a clearly defined faculty development plan, an orientation program for all new faculty, and mentoring. The emphasis on mentoring of faculty, regardless of gender, really hinges on the willingness and ability of the mentor to invest time and energy into working with candidates with potential.
It was also noted that we should do a much better job in training individuals who have been named department chair to become effective in that role. Institutions are realizing the value of departmental leadership as a proving ground for senior administrative positions since many of the core competencies of planning, budget, personnel management, conflict resolution, and effective communication are essential for success at senior administrative positions as well.
Women professors can increase their leadership roles in preparation for assuming broader administrative responsibilities by demonstrating their skills. The group identified competency, creativity, and credibility as three skills that are essential for individuals to demonstrate. Ways to show these skills to others would be to capture their ideas by writing position papers and providing written suggestions to senior administration, volunteer to serve on committees, and network with other individuals who can provide advice and coaching in the expansion of leadership abilities.
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Theme 3: The Conciliation of Work and Family (Work/ Personal Conciliation, Work/Family Conciliation) |
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TopTheme 1: the recruitment...Theme 2: the place...Theme 3: the conciliation...Theme 4: the introduction...SummaryReferences |
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The conciliation of work and personal and family life is essential to promoting the recruitment of women faculty and giving them a better chance of moving up the administrative ladder.
The questions our group considered were:
In the group discussion, the tension of balancing a professional career and family was cited as a major concern. The group felt women have a disproportionate role in family responsibilities and tension exists in competing priorities for one’s time. Basic things that can be done to lessen this tension would include scheduling work-related meeting times around children and academic responsibilities so that all members of the department, for example, could be present to discuss items of academic policy. It was noted, however, that the sensitivity of institutions to accommodate child care and other family responsibilities has improved in recent time.
Another item related to maternity leave. Some participants noted that they must use sick or vacation time for maternity leave. The influence of trade unions in Australia has supported institutional changes such that maternal/paternal leave is available for both birth and adoption family events. Use of flexible time is important to manage family responsibilities. The use of women’s studies that document the challenges women faculty face could be helpful for organizations to understand the challenges confronting this tension between professional work and family. It was noted that in some countries the government has taken a strong role in supporting child care and that was seen as helpful to women.
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Theme 4: The Introduction of Women’s Values into the Curriculum |
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TopTheme 1: the recruitment...Theme 2: the place...Theme 3: the conciliation...Theme 4: the introduction...SummaryReferences |
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The national study on "Women’s Health in the Dental School Curriculum" describes gender differences in research, the barriers to accessing healthcare services, the lack of funding for women’s health concerns, and inattention to women’s health issues in public health care professional education.7 University dental programs must reflect changes in society, notably by taking into consideration the increasing numbers of women in the profession and by adding research themes with a women’s health focus. Incorporating female values and concerns into programs can have an impact on the treatments offered to the publics as a whole.
The questions our group considered were:
In our group discussion, we agreed that changing the dental curriculum is never easy; however, after we have seen an increase in both the number of female students and faculty, it is important to have a curriculum that is more inclusive. The NIH sponsors research on women’s health, and there is broad recognition of the unique diseases or conditions that women face as well as certain risk factors and the need for alternative interventions in treating these conditions for women. Dental schools must increase their understanding of women’s issues. These would include pregnancy, oral health and women’s values, and mother/child relationships.
Dental schools can do a more effective job by incorporating holistic thinking about patients, particularly women patients, into their curriculum. Another aspect of the curriculum would focus on career development specifically for women and would present this information while women are students in dental school. This would broaden a woman’s understanding of alternative career options that might be pursued such as academic dentistry, research, or public health. Other aspects of the curriculum to be considered would be the psycho/social issues of women’s health, oral health differences between men and women, and the creation of a gender-neutral curriculum. Australia emphasizes a gender-neutral curriculum in its dental education programs. Another curriculum change that was cited was the need for dental schools to teach about cultural competencies, particularly as our student bodies become increasingly diverse and patient populations become more diverse as well.
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Summary |
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TopTheme 1: the recruitment...Theme 2: the place...Theme 3: the conciliation...Theme 4: the introduction...SummaryReferences |
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Duderstadt and Womack in their book, The Future of the Public University in America: Beyond the Crossroads, make a compelling argument for a new paradigm in the public university in America in order to respond to the changing needs of society. These arguments are equally important for private universities and for many international universities. The new model, they assert, must embrace our various constituencies, the demands of pluralism and diversity, and a new spirit of liberal learning.8 Making changes in our dental education programs and curricula to enhance and fully recognize the role and contributions of women faculty and administrators will support this new model for higher education.
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Footnotes |
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REFERENCES |
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TopTheme 1: the recruitment...Theme 2: the place...Theme 3: the conciliation...Theme 4: the introduction...SummaryReferences |
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