The Concept of Impact and its Application to Equality Research Professor Valerie Hey Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research (CHEER) University of Sussex Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research

Purpose To welcome you to the University of Sussex, and CHEER Deconstruct the discourse of impact Discuss the ironies of feminist knowledge’s disqualification – plenty of knowledge but no exchange! Trace the palimpsest of messages in the WP in HE in GT Knowledge Exchange Raise the Stakes about Partnership

The Methodologies of Measurement ISI IMPACT FACTOR: a measure of the frequency with which the ‘average article’ has been cited in a particular year. Based on the most recent 2 years of citations –supplied only to journals indexed by Web of Science EIGEN FACTOR – ranks journals as Google ranks websites –includes the journal price in its calculation – bridges discipline gaps; adjusts for citation pattern differences across disciplines, based on 5 years of data – free HIRSCH’S H INDEX – the H index is based on a scientist’s most cited papers and a number of citations to their papers – defined as ‘A scientist has an H index of H if his/her Np papers have at least H citations each and the other (Np-h) papers have no more than H citations each’ (!)

Making Knowledge Perform Homo economics Ideological policy inscriptions – positivism, empiricism, certainties and truths Constructing a mechanics of knowing – cause & effect Example - The Payback Framework in assessing Impact of Health Research Performing Impact in the feminist social sciences ? –Irony & Ignorance

Feminism, Knowledge and The Lack of Impact Factor Feminist knowledge – lucid, complex and consistent evidence of: Patterns of systemic male violence, female economic exploitation - for example, the disproportionate effect on women of budget cuts, (The Fawcett Society’s case) The Labour Market and the Male premium HE and employment – the gendered distribution of power. Sustained tradition of knowledge yet ignored = a ‘willed ignorance’ Disqualified discourse of equity – why?

Pertinence in WHEGT Quantification Generalisations Affirmative action is increasing the number of women in HE but not from low SES backgrounds. Gender mainstreaming has an international momentum and global architecture BUT the conflation of more with equity? Low SES students and especially women continue to be under- represented. Age operates as one of those silent norms – those women who are outside the age-referenced norm have specific unrecognised needs – highest risk of dropping out – become unintelligible?

Pertinence in WPHEGT Qualitative Generalisations The heterosexual matrix The ubiquity of sexual harassment The assumptive rights of men – sexual corruption Lack of attention to disability – able-bodied norms

Who is Listening? – Crafting Audience Action rather than Audit What are the resistances to the evidence? What would open minds and doors? From proceduralism to action? Partnership stitching cleavages? Authentic monitoring of policy for equality evaluation?

Feminist Alternative Lexicon: The Inspiration Factor

The Curiosity Factor Texts that tell you something you had not thought Make you see the world differently –sharply as new things come into view Work which questions the optics and norms.