Women as part-time faculty members

Abstract

Part-time positions in academe have long been considered women's work because of the opportunities they afford for child care and household responsibilities, as well as the lower status and pay which they generally carry. Recent data indicate that men are just as likely as women to be part-timers, and that the large majority of women do not fit the stereotypical view of women part-timers. This paper uses data from a nation-wide survey of part-timers, conducted by the American Association of University Professors in 1977, to compare job-related characteristics of males and females and their motivations for working part-time. The data suggest that part-time academic employment may, in fact, be a female issue since some differences between the sexes are found to exist. In several instances women appear to be worse off than their male counterparts. The article concludes with policy recommendations to improve this situation.