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ABSTRACT
The representation of women in faculty roles within universities broadly and within public affairs departments specifically has been evolving over the past three decades. However, diversifying gender representation in public affairs faculties is not sufficient. Barriers for success remain for women in public affairs departments. Bias exists in hiring and promotion decisions, imbalanced expectations of institutional norms and expectations persist, and fault lines emerge through the diversification of departments. Inclusion is the necessary next step to make representation more meaningful implementation of diversity. The article provides suggestions on how public affairs departments can promote more inclusive climates to elicit the positive effects of gender diversity and alleviate the negative consequences of more diverse faculties.
Notes
1. The website demands.org is no longer available. Libresco (Citation2015) did a breakdown of each demand from the student letters from 51 universities. A majority of the demands were for diversifying the faculty, mostly in terms of race but some also about gender.
2. We calculated this percentage by researching the top schools listed in the last rankings of the U.S. News and World Report ranking of public affairs graduate programs.
3. For a very good description of how the intersection of racialized behavior particularly impacts women faculty of color, see the work of Gutiérrez Y Muhs, Flores Niemann, González, and Harris (Citation2012) and Accapadi (Citation2007). Another article that we recommend discusses the tenure and promotion process for women faculty of color by Han and Leonard (Citation2017). For discussions of race in public affairs programs there are two articles in JPAE by Rivera and Ward (Citation2008a and Citation2008b) and Johnson (Citation2009) that are also helpful.
4. Micro-aggressions are defined by De Welde (Citation2017) as “routine, subtle, verbal and non-verbal, often unintentional messages that well-intentioned members of dominant groups inflict on marginalized groups” (p. 200). She gives the example of a woman being told she will have an easier time on the job market because she is a woman, with the implication being that it will not be because she is qualified.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Lauren Hamilton Edwards
Lauren Hamilton Edwards is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She studies public management, particularly on what will help public organization work more effectively. To that end, she focuses on public strategic management, engaging the public in the work of public organizations, and diversity and inclusion within those organizations.
Maja Husar Holmes
Maja Husar Holmes is Chair and associate professor in the Department of Public Administration at West Virginia University. Her research explores emerging opportunities for cultivating inclusion and diversity through leadership and governance in the public sector.
Jessica E. Sowa
Jessica E. Sowa is an associate professor and MPA Director in the School of Public and International Affairs in the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore. Her main research interests include organizational performance and human resource management in public and nonprofit organizations. She is currently the editor-in-chief of the Review of Public Personnel Administration.