Shattering the Stained-Glass Ceiling

At the International Forum on Christian Higher Education in February, a presentation was made regarding gender equity within Christian higher education institutions. The presentation cited a 2007 survey of 1,900 faculty at institutions affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The CCCU is an international association of Christian colleges and universities made up of 109 member institutions in North America and 75 affiliates in 24 countries. CCCU schools have experienced rapid growth in recent years, with enrollment increasing by 70 percent since 1990.

This survey noted that of professors teaching at CCCU member institutions, the majority (62 percent) were male. When asked to respond to the statement, “Female faculty at my college/university are treated equally to male faculty,” 24 percent of female faculty strongly agreed with the statement as opposed to 47 percent of male faculty.

In addition, according to the American Council on Education, women held 23 percent of college presidencies and 38 percent of chief academic officer positions in 2007. In 2009, five percent of CCCU school presidents were women and 17 percent were chief academic officers. This is a striking disparity – one that should be of concern to anyone working at a Christian college or university.

To address this concern, one must first understand the context and likely reasons for this disparity. While I believe there are many possible explanations for the difference, I would like to suggest three that are most pertinent and then offer recommendations for tackling the issue.

First, one must consider the role traditionally assigned to women within theologically conservative Christian denominations. Many of these denominations have historically discouraged, even excluded, women from leadership positions in the church. This belief has carried over into Christian higher education, and according to a 2005 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education, “. . . at conservative religious institutions, women face a stained-glass ceiling, with the Bible and church tradition routinely used to justify gender discrimination.”

The second reason for gender inequity is a lack of institutional will to make significant changes. Because men hold the majority of leadership positions in most of these institutions, frustrations among women on campus are often misunderstood, or go unnoticed. And because many women choose not to make “waves,” administration can easily sweep the issue under the rug.

The third reason for the dearth of women in senior leadership positions is that those who desire to serve in top positions often get frustrated by the impediments to doing so, and they choose to disengage, often finding a more welcoming climate at less conservative institutions, or even outside of academia. Clearly, this only perpetuates the problem.

To effectively address gender inequity in Christian higher education, administrators and board members must take a hard look at historic beliefs pertaining to leadership and decide whether doctrine meant to guide church governance should carry into the workplace. Christian institutions must be willing to intentionally address the issue of women in leadership. They must look inward at a culture that in many cases allows individuals and/or campus groups to discriminate against women through actions or words. They must address the reasons for gender inequity at its roots, not simply through one-time training sessions that serve as a Band-Aid for a much larger problem, but by encouraging sustained and open conversations across campus. The bottom line is that if women are to make inroads in leadership positions, administrators must address the role of women on their campuses and intentionally prioritize the development, support and retention of young women leaders at their institutions. This will be a small, but necessary, step in the right direction.