Discrepancies between discourse and action in promoting equal opportunities in Romania: the case of women managers in higher education and social work

The article focuses on occupational specifics of gender differences in two fields that are considered "feminised" in Romania - education (specifically higher education) and social work. An analysis of the gender distribution of top management positions from the two fields was conducted. It resulted that 15% of the top management positions in Romanian Universities (public and private) are occupied by women (namely the position of Rector of the University), while 48% of the most relevant public providers of social services are managed by women (as General Manager). A second analysis conducted on a quantitatively similar sample of private providers of social services (namely NGO's), randomly selected revealed a similar percentage (49%) of women managers (Executive President or Executive Manager). In Universities that provide a Bachelor program in Social Work, we have observed a relatively high percentage of women occupying a management position (Head of Social Work Department or similar) - 45%, while the percentage of women Rectors remains at the general national level - 16%.