WOMEN AT THE TOP IN HIGHER-EDUCATION - EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES POLICIES IN ACTION

An increasing number of institutions of higher education in Britain advertise themselves as 'Equal Opportunities Employers'. A variety of evidence is presented from reports from the Commission for Racial Equality and the Hansard Society, case studies from a polytechnic and a university and published evidence from Oxford, Queen's University, Belfast and University College, London. It shows that progress in the implementation of equal opportunities policies in British higher education is unimpressive, foundering at the stage of monitoring recruitment practices. Managements believe the criterion of academic merit is a guarantee against discrimination and are resistant to the introduction of effective equal opportunities policies. The CVCP Guidance on Good Practice for Equal Opportunities in Employment in Universities, emphasising positive action, is a significant step forward at a timely moment. It highlights fundamental and much neglected issues in the management of higher education.