Precedents for a 'Chilly Climate' for Women Teachers in Higher Education

https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726710377932

Commentary

The literature on the undervaluation of women argues that female faculty face a "chilly climate.

Relational demographics, organizational justice, and social network theory make this a content study that identifies possible precedents for a "chilly climate".

Using survey data from faculty at a private university in the Midwestern United States, we tested whether perceptions of exclusion (cold climate) are affected by demographic dissimilarities and perceptions of equity and gender equality.

The results of these analyses showed that faculty women, consistent with the demographics involved, perceive more exclusion from departments with lower percentages of women. Perceptions of procedural justice and gender equity were described as powerful factors in promoting inclusion and warming the climate for both men and women.

The experience of a "chilly climate" for female teachers can be a complex phenomenon with multiple causes. Policies that fail to address these multiple causes may be ineffective.