NUI Galway is potentially the second worst college in all of Europe on promotion of women to senior academic positions, Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington said in addressing the Annual Conference of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) in Dublin (Saturday, May 7th, 2016).
“Ireland ranks last after Malta - with one university - for its glass ceiling index of the proportion of senior female academics, and NUIG ranks last of the Irish universities for its percentage of senior female staff.”
Addressing the conference, Dr Sheehy Skeffington outlined details of the gender discrimination case she won at the Equality Tribunal in November 2014 for a round of promotions to Senior Lecturer that the Tribunal Ruling described as ‘ramshackle’.
“There are five other women who, like me, were deemed eligible but not promoted and all are taking court cases to obtain what I know is their right - I have seen all the applications and know they deserve it”.
She said that the on-going campaign highlighting injustices in NUI Galway was as a result of their courage in taking those cases, since they are the main reason for the campaign.
Dr Sheehy Skeffington thanked IFUT for its sustained support for the five women. “The university, responding to the resultant bad publicity, has initiated some changes and its task force is recommending cascading quotas for women in job promotions. “While I do not like quotas, the situation in NUI Galway is so extreme that it is necessary as a temporary measure and this system is fair.
“Things must change now,” she said, “until the past injustice of the five women is put right, NUI Galway cannot move on and claim it has addressed gender inequality among its staff.”
ENDS
For further information on this media release please contact:
John Gallagher - John Gallagher Consulting - Tel. 087 9369888
