Committee sets plan for gender equality

President Brody recently announced a renewed University commitment to achieving gender equity, after the presentation of a report entitled "Vision 2020" last week by Linda Fried, chair of the University Committee on the Status of Women (UCSW).

"I am pleased, of course, that two of our six vice presidents and two of our nine divisional deans and directors are women; pleased, but not satisfied. Nor am I satisfied with the fact that fewer than 19 percent of full professors in this University are women," Brody said.

Outlined in "Vision 2020" is the need for attaining equal representation among men and women in faculty and administrative appointments since there is a large pool of well-qualified women candidates available to fill those positions.

The report supports the goal of attaining a 50-50 representation of women to men in senior faculty and leadership positions by the year 2020. Currently, there is a ratio of 9:1, men to women, in senior leadership positions.

"The UCSW report makes plain how far we are from ensuring that women at The Johns Hopkins University have the same opportunities as men for educational attainment, for career advancement and for achieving satisfaction with their professional and personal lives," Brody said in an e-mail letter to the University.

In terms of promoting women in leadership, the report shows that Hopkins is now well behind its peers. "In 2005, Johns Hopkins ranked last in its peer group for the percentage of women executives. Those numbers ranged from 41 percent (Johns Hopkins and Northwestern) to 75 percent, with a median of 55 percent."

The report points to evidence that the incorporation and retention of women leaders is a smart business investment, and that the University should take advantage of its most valuable resource -- its people, starting with more efforts to retain female graduate students and junior level faculty.

"Vision 2020" also calls for an overall change in the culture of the University that will serve to promote women and "guarantee a reasonable work/life balance for all," citing alienation in the workplace and differential treatment as problems that persist for female faculty and staff.

Historically, the traditionally male-dominated Hopkins culture has not provided an environment that is supportive of women. The UCSW report says it is time for women faculty, staff and students to be utilized and appreciated as important resources to the University.

According to the report, despite decades of studying issues of gender equity, a culture persists at Johns Hopkins that devalues women's abilities and contributions, and does not understand the legitimacy and import of gender-based obstacles to women's careers.

"The Committee developed an important sent of principles, and President Brody has already appointed two people - Vice President Charlene Hayes and Dr. Myron Weisfeldt in the School of Medicine -- to chair a Commission charged to implement those principles. Let me emphasize: this Commission is not being asked to do a further study or right a new report but to work on concrete ways of implementing the principles that UCSW has recommended," Steven Knapp, provost, said.

The report calls for Hopkins to "determine new metrics for the evaluation of excellence, which will transform the model of the ideal at Johns Hopkins from total dedication to work into other determinants of distinction and productivity that permit work/life balance."

In order to uphold the equality principles recommended by the UCSW, President Brody established a new university-wide commission, to be co-chaired by Charlene Hayes, vice president for human resources, and Myron Weisfeldt, the William Osler Professor of Medicine and director of the Department of Medicine.

The commission will have representation by faculty, staff and students for the purpose of implementing the "Principles for Ensuring Equity, Civility and Respect for All." These principles include maintaining a mutually respectful environment in which all individuals are given the opportunity to excel and in which artificial exclusion on the basis of gender, race, religion or age is not tolerated.

According to Brody, "Vision 2020 must, as its name implies, be the corrective lens through which we view our actions over at least the next 14 years."