Diversity initiatives at regional educational institutions tackle gender imbalance




Gender imbalance in higher educa­tion and subsequent career and em­ployment outcomes is still very much an issue in Pennsylvania, but thank­fully, there is a growing number of organizations and efforts throughout the state’s colleges and universities, as well as advocacy groups, that are ac­tively tackling gender imbalance, aim­ing to create a more equal educational and career environment for young women.

From the Outside-In: The Higher Education Women’s Consortium and the Pennsylvania Conference for Women

Working from the outside-in is the PA System of Higher Education Women’s Consortium, and the organization has a wide reach. As an arm of the PASSHE, the Women’s Consortium’s efforts span 14 universities throughout the state. The organization serves as a general advisor group to the PASSHE’s chan­cellor on a regular basis and works to stay informed of and address concerns raised by women throughout the sys­tem. Additionally, its programming helps empower and connect women students, as well as faculty and staff.

The Women’s Consortium also has three Leadership Institutes — the Fac­ulty, Undergraduate and Professional & Staff Institutes — and the breadth of their work and reach is truly remark­able. They address topics and issues specific to each subset through activi­ties like interactive sessions in small- group format, lectures, panels, work­shops and more.

Another initiative that starts from the outside-in comes from the Pennsylvania Conference for Women’s annual meet­ing and its several scholarship offerings. The Conference itself, which began in 2004, works on bringing together thou­sands of female working-professionals for a massive, one-day event with fea­tured speakers and opportunities for networking and professional develop­ment. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Conference for Women launched its Scholarship Program in 2005, which today has over 40 Pennsylvania college and university participants. Since its inception, the Conference has provided over $2 million in scholarships.

Working Within the System: Penn State’s Salary and Benefits Negotiation Workshop

Many educational institutions are taking an active hand in solving gen­der inequality and there are numerous initiatives that work from within the system. Many of these aim to devel­op a greater sense of confidence and agency within the student body while also providing guidance and aid in preparing for the working world post- graduation.

Pennsylvania State University’s Salary and Benefits Negotiation work­shop is an example of one such pro­gram in action. One of many programs through Penn State University’s stu­dent affairs division for gender eq­uity on campus, this event focuses on empowering female students when negotiating terms of employment and staying informed of standard salary and benefits for their field. The pro­gram addresses the hard truth of the gender wage gap and demonstrates how women can act as their own ad­vocate for the salary and benefits they rightly deserve.

As Jennifer Pencek, programming coordinator with the Gender Equity Center explains, “The salary and ben­efits negotiation workshops are re­ally important because research shows that women in particular are less likely to negotiate in the hiring process and throughout their careers. When male counterparts negotiate, the re­search shows they are more likely to receive the most optimal salary and benefits package as opposed to those who do not negotiate, thus start­ing the incredibly problematic and damaging pay gap between women and men.”

It is the goal of the workshop to empower these women “to advocate for themselves and have a positive start in the workforce or even create a positive change if they are already in the workforce.”

Both types of program, outside- in and institution-specific, serve a greater purpose across not only the state, but the nation. These initiatives are examples of how gender-equal­ity is empowering students and can act as inspiration for other col­leges and universities that may not have such programs in place to be­gin the implementation of their own programs, bringing us one step clos­er to educational and career gender equality. .

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