Pay inequality among professors at UVU

The struggle of gender equality has always been a problem in the workplace, and could be hitting closer to home than people realize. Today in society it is common and many times necessary for both men and women to work full-time jobs to support their families to have the means to get by. However, some women still get paid less than men, even at UVU.

According to AAUP Faculty Salary Survey, a higher education salary survey, on average, male professors at UVU make $73,900 a year, while female professors make $71,700.

Compared to other schools in the same survey, UVU is the norm.  At most universities in Utah,as well as across the nation, male professors make more than female professors.

A yearly evaluation of professor performance is required by the HR department at UVU and in this evaluation the faculty member and their leader discuss their performance in the past year. They talk about whether they have met their goals and how they can continue to improve in the next year. In the evaluation, they can also present potential inequality issues, like unfair pay and negotiate salary and benefits.

“I have overheard my male colleagues talking, and they do get paid more, but from what I have heard it is not by much,” said a female professor, who wishes to remain anonymous for this article. “What bothers me about it is some men that get paid more than I do have less experience than me.”

For many women, getting paid less than their male counterparts is upsetting because of their qualifications.

“I feel like I should be paid more, but not only because my male colleagues are getting paid more than I am,” said the female professor. “It is mainly because I feel like I am worth it, and am a valuable asset to UVU. I like what I do, and I know I do it well.”

She did, however, feel like the employee evaluations of salary are a fair process.

“I think HR department does a fine job of evaluations, and I’m sure they have a very strict process when determining a person’s salary,” she said. “There is just something very odd about women professors being paid less in the workplace.”

She did mention the desire to discuss the pay difference in her next teacher evaluation.

“Pay is something that is definitely on my mind, as well as other professors I know. I will be bringing it up at my next evaluation meeting.”

The issue may not be as simple as black and white, but the facts are men are making more than women. By print time, HR was unavailable to make a statement, but as more information becomes available a follow-up story will be printed.

It seems that even today, with all of the progress the country has made in gender equality, there are still signs of unequality in the workplace, and even among professors at UVU.

By Kari Harbath
News Writer