Recruiting Female Faculty Members in Science and Engineering: Preliminary Evaluation of One Intervention Model

The representation of female faculty members in science and engineering fields lags behind that of their counterparts in the social sciences and humanities and also fails to keep pace with the production of female science and engineering doctorates. Research has shown that equity cannot be achieved by waiting for women to fill the applicant pool; instead, institutions must intervene by changing hiring practices and retention policies. This article describes and evaluates early results of one intervention at the University of Michigan: the creation of a faculty committee designed to improve the recruitment and hiring of female faculty members through peer education. One hiring cycle after the committee's creation, the authors found (a) reports of changed practices in some search committees and departments, (b) an increase in the number and proportion of new hires who were women, and (c) a substantial increase in the knowledge and motivation of the members of the recruitment committee with respect to improving the climate for female faculty members.