The main purpose of this study was to examine the University of Utah Department of Philosophy performance related to a larger problem of practice, that is, the lack of gender parity in American academic philosophy. More specifically, this study examined the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that were assumed to play a critical role in the stakeholder’s capacity to close the gender gap among its regular full-time faculty members. Understanding the circumstances that underpin gender disparity in American academic philosophy may help identify solutions to the larger problem of gender discrimination and women’s underrepresentation in academia. Thus, the secondary purpose of this study was to create a set of generalizable and transferable recommendations to be used by other organizations that struggle with similar problems of practice. This study found five promising practices to be potentially transferable. They are divided into two groups: 1) hiring practices, and 2) retaining practices.
Keywords
women in academia, gender parity, gender gap, gender gap in philosophy