{"id":46218,"date":"2018-12-06T11:10:22","date_gmt":"2018-12-06T19:10:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.edu\/?p=46218"},"modified":"2018-12-06T11:10:22","modified_gmt":"2018-12-06T19:10:22","slug":"gender-pay-gap-at-universities-could-get-even-worse-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/gender-pay-gap-at-universities-could-get-even-worse-heres-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender pay gap at universities could get even worse \u2013 here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBritain has one of the largest gender pay gaps in the European Union, with women earning\u00a0roughly 21% less than men<\/a>. This means that women in UK universities today are still earning less than their male colleagues. So although laws on equal pay have been in place for more than 40 years, there\u00a0is still a large gender pay gap in UK universities<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The difference in hourly pay\u00a0between men and women is 15%<\/a>\u00a0in top UK universities and\u00a037% in other universities<\/a>. What\u2019s more, men have most of the top jobs in UK universities,\u00a0while women have more of the lower-paid jobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And this \u201cgender pay gap\u201d\u00a0may keep getting wider<\/a>\u00a0if women aren\u2019t supported to develop their digital skills. This is because women tend to have less advanced digital skills than men \u2013 skills that are increasingly in demand for university lecturer roles. And as universities around rely more extensively on digital technology, they need employees who have creative digital skills \u2013 which means women are more likely to miss out on jobs, promotions and pay increases.<\/p>\n

Wanted: technical talent<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The use of technology is now just part of the day job for anyone involved in teaching and learning in universities. Universities use technology to teach and communicate with students online \u2013 which can help to improve\u00a0a student\u2019s learning experience<\/a>. Staff are also expected to use online learning and mobile learning platforms to teach, assess and talk to students in a virtual environment.
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Our research shows there is a wide gap in the way men and women use technology. Shutterstock<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Universities also plan to use more advanced technology. Gamification is on the rise in universities. This is where universities personalise a student\u2019s learning, using game design thinking\u00a0in non-game applications<\/a>. Wearable devices, such as an Apple Watch or Google Glass, can also encourage learners to get more involved in the subject. This type of technology will most likely be used more in universities over the coming years.<\/p>\n

And as women in higher education are generally less likely to be skilled in\u00a0using these technologies<\/a>, they may well be left behind \u2013 widening the gender pay gap in higher education \u2013 while also making it harder for women to progress in their careers.<\/p>\n

Digital skills divide<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Our research<\/a>\u00a0which looks at the gender gap in smartphone adoption and use in Arab countries shows there is a wide gap in the way men and women use technology in some parts of the world. And we found similar patterns in the UK. Men have more advanced digital skills than women, and women are underrepresented in the technology sector,\u00a0specifically in the digital sector in education<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This \u201cdigital divide\u201d begins at\u00a0a very early age in school<\/a>. It continues into higher education \u2013 in the UK there is one of the highest gender gaps in technology-related courses\u00a0among all university courses<\/a>\u00a0in the world.
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