Women Working in Higher Education: A Review of the Position of Women in Higher Education and Policy Developments

This review is concerned with the position of women in higher education, and particularly that of women staff at all levels. A set of statistics is presented to illustrate the UK scene. Similar infmnation is given for some other countries. There is an emphasis on comparison with Australia because the situation there is changing. The position of women academics is clearly revealed – there are not many, they have more difficulty than men in obtaining tenured positions and much more difficulty in obtaining promotion. Some of the causes and consequences of this situation are discussed.
The development of policy needed to bring about change is examined with emphasis on the institutional attitudinal climate.