Progressive Boy's Club
What is it, and
why should you care?
What does it mean when our institutions which are meant to be at the forefront of progressive ideas, research and thinking fall into the same cultural settings of boy’s clubs? With university male Vice-Chancellors across NSW vastly outweighing women it’s no surprise that once again a boy’s club finds its feet within the elite of university staffing.
What does this mean for women trying to break this cycle? What leaps and bounds, did the woman who have held this role or currently in this position, go through to be considered and then land the job?
Mapping of the Boy's Club found in NSW
Vice-Chancellors
What is a Boy's Club?
A Boy’s Club is understood to be ‘the maintenance of practices that institutionalise men’s dominance over women’ (Bird, 1996). Allowing men to continue to control the spaces they have held for long periods of time, as they become connected and linked to each other over and over again. In turn, continuing to promote and save space for the men around them, whilst almost denying any new or existing space for women. ‘It has a long history and is referred to in many ways, “male bonding”, “male-to-male relatedness”, “the locker room”, the lads club’ (Fisher & Kinsey, 2014).
This societal practice is seen time and time again to permeate all areas of Australian life and culture. We appear to be unable to escape it.
What is a
Vice-Chancellor?
The Collins dictionary defines the Vice-Chancellor as ‘the person in charge of academic and administrative roles’ (Collins Dictionary). While the University of Sydney states ‘the Vice-Chancellor leads the University and determines its overall direction, in close consultation with the Chancellor and other Fellows of Senate, senior leaders and the Academic Board’ (University of Sydney).
Therefore, the Vice-Chancellor enables commination and decision making between all aspects which preside over a University. They lead and help govern whilst also playing a vital role in shaping the vision, mission, and values of the University. At the same time, they are seeking to ensure the Universities success as a valued institution of education and research.
NSW University Statistics
90
Male
Vice-Chancellors through NSW history. Equating to 91.8%
8
Female
Vice-Chancellors through NSW history. Equating to 8.2%
583
Collective years for male
Vice-chancellor leadership in NSW history. Equating to 90.1%
64
Collective years for female
Vice-chancellor leadership in NSW history. Equating to 9.9%
NSW Universities Researched
University of Sydney
Western Sydney University
University of New South Wales
University of Newcastle
University of Woollongong
Macquarie University
University of New England
Charles Sturt University
Southern Cross University
Australian Catholic University
University of Technology Sydney
What Does this Mean Moving Forward?
In order for systems to change recognition and education has to occur. This project is just the start of this. Education is only the beginning, although vital.
There needs to be recognition of systemic failures for women which consistently allow men time and time again to get a leg up within institutions like that of a university structure, ensuring that the cycle never changes. Boy’s Clubs need to begin to be dismantled and shifted, to ensure women are to be given opportunities to penetrate these high jobs.
There needs to be space and accommodations made, not just within these jobs but starting all the way at the bottom. This can only happen if those at the top recognise that there needs to be change and begin to change their own structures.
If this dismantling starts to occur, then women will no longer hit the glass ceiling which is known to them all too well. While this same ceiling isn’t present for men within the same industries.
The louder the talk the more they have to listen.