1. Building experience and breaking barriers So what’s new? How can we exploit changes in the law? What can we do? What local steps can we take?

2. Building experience and breaking barriers Important new legislative leverage: the establishment of a positive duty in the major areas of race, disability and gender the requirement in many of the laws to have policies and action plans in the public domain the requirement to monitor and assess impact a resulting increase in the extent to which activity is open to public scrutiny

3. Building experience and breaking barriers New EO policy developments for RAE 2008: panel briefings, written guidance for panels, requirements regarding panel criteria 01/2005, 02/2005 (January 2005). HEI guidance 03/2005 (June ) includes Code of Practice, Annex G. EU gender-policy requirements for Framework funding Panel membership at EU and member state level Targeted research programmes at EU level

4. Building experience and breaking barriers Local opportunities in context of positive duty: institutional action plans (with outcomes, time frames and responsibilities defined) consultation open and transparent work allocation open and transparent criteria for progression and promotion positive action training (of manager and managed)

5. Building experience and breaking barriers Checking mechanisms: monitoring, not simply of numbers by employment category, grade and type of contract, but also in relation to grievances, complaints, etc. regular public reporting on policies and action plans that now have to be in the public domain use of Freedom of Information Act

6. Building experience and breaking barriers Questions to be asked: gender pay audits within grade? recruitment breakdown by gender: enquiry, application, success? promotions plotted against (a) available pool; (b) numbers applied; (c) success rate? do departments have work-plan allocations that are recognised as fair across the genders?

7. Building experience and breaking barriers More questions to be asked: do departments have EO action plans that are monitored and regularly revised? do EO action plans monitor departmental responsibilities for gender-bias? what is the M/F breakdown on each of the whole institution-level committees? ditto Senate/Academic Board? ditto Governing Body?

8. Building experience and breaking barriers And yet more questions ……. how, in truth, do you get on to these influential bodies? can the system be improved? how do you make your mark when you get there and so gain access to influence?

9. Building experience and breaking barriers Perceived barriers (1): Opportunity Now %Sen Women %CEOs Family responsibilities8376 Stereotyping and preconceptions8165 Lack of visible female role models7069 Exclusion from informal networks6646 L’ship’s failure to take responsibility for women’s advancement6353 Personal style differences6126

10. Building experience and breaking barriers Perceived barriers (2): Opportunity Now %Sen Women %CEOs Lack of mentoring5858 Lack of awareness of organisational politics5735 Lack of professional development opportunities5444 Lack of opportunities for visibility5240

11. Building experience and breaking barriers Perceived barriers (3): Opportunity Now %Sen Women %CEOs Lack of opportunities to work on challenging assignments4532 Sexual harassment4027 Few women can/want to do what it takes to get to the top3023 Lack of time in the pipeline (i.e. generically)2840

12. Building experience and breaking barriers Organisational blockers in HE (1) Stereotyped career pathways Difficulties in getting experience valued when gained outside the sector Rewards are not necessarily those that women value the most Gender-mix and assumptions of Governors/Councils, HoDs, appointment panels, head-hunters

13. Building experience and breaking barriers Organisational blockers in HE (2) Practices of head-hunters/recruitment agencies may not be gender-neutral (tending to tap into existing male networks) Long hours culture Not having equivalent access to mentors and networking (formal and informal) Perception that women will not be tough enough

14. Building experience and breaking barriers Personal blockers in HE (1) Lack of self-confidence, underestimating knowledge and experience Focusing on the negative – the experience and skills one doesn’t have Fear of failure Wanting to see jobs through to the end, and this staying too long in a post

15. Building experience and breaking barriers Personal blockers in HE (2) Fear of stress resulting from taking unpopular decisions Lacking social skills training/experience for high level meetings, negotiations etc. Family responsibilities: work-life balance Route to seniority for women often via roles related more to people and teaching than ‘big money’, research ‘empires’, science oriented portfolios

16. Building experience and breaking barriers Would it help to form a network? BUT, if so: what kind: Survival? Support? Voice?

17. Building experience and breaking barriers Would mentoring be useful? BUT, if so: what kind: Structured and managed?or Informal and personal? By a man or a woman (or don’t mind)? How close to the immediate working environment? Cross institutional? What are the career goals, personal goals, shared understanding between mentor and mentee?

18. Building experience and breaking barriers What help do we need from: trade unions? professional groups? ECU? (www.ecu.ac.uk) What help do we need to give ourselves by: analysis and planning? sometimes saying no?

19. Building experience and breaking barriers Some steps to take: develop a targeted and phased agenda build alliances and find voices build lines of access to decision making know the law and use it know the institution’s fact and figures and use them be systematic focus on actual outcomes