Institutional Striving and Gender Equity in Faculty Salaries and Employment

Climbing the ladder of institutional prestige is often promoted by leaders and policymakers in higher education, but there may be trade-offs associated with striving for status. This study examines the impact of Texas's National Research University Fund (NRUF), which uses financial incentives to support institutions' pursuit of prestige, on the salaries and employment of faculty. For full professors, the NRUF had a positive effect on the salaries of both men and women, but the policy also contributed to widening the gender gap in salary. In regard to employment, the NRUF had a negative impact on the share of women among full professors. The findings suggest that organizational pursuit of prestige may have unintended consequences for faculty gender equity.

Automated summary

This study examines the impact of Texas's National Research University Fund (NRUF) on the salaries and employment of faculty, finding that the policy has a positive effect on the salaries of both male and female full professors, but it also widens the gender gap in salary and negatively affects the employment of female full professors. The findings suggest that organizational pursuit of prestige may have unintended consequences for faculty gender equity.