The effectiveness of gender equity policies in higher education : the case of the Durban University of Technology

Abstract

Recent research has shown that despite the progress women have made in the workplace, they still lag behind in terms of higher level and rewarding positions. This situation is attributable to the policies that do not meet the needs of female employees. This paper therefore seeks to examine the effectiveness of gender equity policies in advancing the careers of women in higher education, using the Durban University of Technology as a case study. A mixed method design was adopted in which a sample of 250 women was drawn from academic and administrative units using stratified random sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data, which was analyzed in order to highlight the factors influencing the career progression of women in higher education. The findings revealed that more policies need to be designed and effectively monitored in order to improve the working conditions of women in higher education.