CLOSING THE GAP: SEMO WORKS FOR GENDER EQUITY

Women are paid less than men on average at Southeast Missouri State University.

But the gender gap is closing as more women are hired for faculty positions, school officials said.

Southeast has 936 regular employees in teaching and non-teaching positions. Fifty-two percent are men.

The school's female employees make nearly $12,000 less than male employees, university salary records show.

But nearly 26 percent of the school's 445 female employees are secretaries, who make substantially lower salaries than do faculty members and administrators.

The average secretary's salary at Southeast this year is $16,377 while the average instructor's salary is more than $30,000.

"If you look at women underpaid, you need to look at secretaries," said Dr. Christina Frazier, a Southeast biology professor who is interested in gender equity.

Across society, women typically get paid less than men.

Women 24 to 34 years of age earned 86.3 cents for every dollar their male counterparts earned in 1992. A year later, the gap had decreased to about 11 cents nationwide for that age group.

"Societywise, it is a problem," said Frazier.

But she doesn't believe there is any systematic discrimination at Southeast.

The university has hired more women faculty members in recent years.

From 1990 to 1994, Southeast hired 77 new faculty members; 56 percent were women.

Sixty-three faculty members have been hired in the past two years. Fifty-four percent were women.

But in three of the four faculty ranks -- instructor, associate professor and full professor -- the average salary is higher for men than women.

But for the assistant professor rank -- the rank at which most new faculty are hired -- women have higher salaries on average than men.

That is because Southeast is paying more for entry-level positions than some years ago and more women are filling those positions, said the school's president, Dr. Dale Nitzschke.

Overall, the average faculty salary is higher for men because they typically have been at the university longer, he said.

Years ago there were few women in academia. Today, more women are entering the job market.

"That is clearly the most prevalent factor," said Nitzschke.

Nationally, more women are getting advanced degrees than years ago, he said.

At most universities, an individual must have a doctorate in order to be hired as an assistant professor.

Nationally, women received nearly 40 percent of doctorates awarded in 1995. That is up from 19 percent in 1973.

Nitzschke said affirmative-action laws have prompted employers to hire more women.

Affirmative action has focused the nation on the issue of gender equity and the goal of hiring the best person for the job, he said.

"The good-old-boy network has essentially been dismantled," said Nitzschke.

Today, he said, people are hired largely on the basis of their qualifications.

Dr. Charles Kupchella, Southeast's provost, said his office annually looks at gender equity in the faculty ranks.

The most recent study found no significant difference in salary between male and female faculty members that couldn't be explained by years of service or other non-gender factors.

"There are, of course, departments where women are decidedly under represented. But, of course, there are also departments where it is just the opposite," he said.

Kupchella and other schools officials said there are simply fewer women in some academic fields.

In 1995, women received 62 percent of the doctorates awarded in education nationwide, but only 28 percent of those granted in business.

It is largely a male club at the top levels of Southeast's administration.

The university was headed by Dr. Kala Stroup. But she resigned as president last year to take a job as Missouri's commissioner of higher education.

Only two of the school's deans are female and only one of the school's vice presidents is a woman.

Nitzschke and Kupchella said there are fewer women at top administrative levels in higher education nationwide because it takes years of experience to reach such ranks.

As more and more women enter the field of higher education, the number of female administrators should grow, Nitzschke said.

TOP SALARIES

This year's salary, followed by last year's salary.

Dale F. Nitzschke, president, $125,000.... N/A

Kenneth Dobbins, executive vice president, $103,500.... $98,273

Charles Kupchella, provost, $101,135.... $95,613

Gerald McDougall, dean, Collee of Business Administration, $91,940.... $87,430

Sueann Strom, vice president for student affairs, $88,299.... $85,727

Paul Keys, dean, College of Health & Human Services, $85,550.... $81,150

Martin Jones, dean, College of Liberal Arts, $81,545.... $77,514

Sheila Caskey, dean, Graduate School, $79,968.... $76,160

John Hinni, dean, University Studies, $77,550.... $73,857

Shirley Stennis-Williams, dean, College of Education, $77,080.... $73,080

SOUTHEAST SALARY STATISTICS SHOW GENDER GAP

936 employees

Employee breakdown by gender

Females: 445 48%

Males: 491 52%

Overall average salary

$34,723.64

Overall average salary by gender:

Female: $26,538.12

Male: $38,256.73

Average years by gender:

Female: 9.22 years

Male: 12.86 years

How many make more than $50,000: 163 people

of those, 32 are women 20%

and 131 are men 80%

Average dean's salary:

$80,114.31

Average female dean's salary:

$76,572.30

Average male dean's salary:

$81,531.12

Average instructor salary: $30,188.60 average years: 4.47

men $30,761.84 average years: 16.67

women $30,081.12 average years: 2.6

(only two men in this category 23 and 10 years; many of the women in this catetory have been here less than a year)

Average assistant professor salary: $38,516.09 average years: 8.70

ave. men $37,769.68 average years: 10.08

ave. women $39,411.78 Average years: 7.05

Average associate professor salary: $45,748.19 years: 13

ave. salary men $45,905.32 average years: 13.97

ave. women $45,349.30 average years: 10.54

Average full-time professor salary: $53,955.01 years: 18.56

men $54,539.53 years: 19.48

women $51,751.83 years: 15.08

Average secretary salary: $16,377.15

Gender of secretaries: 115 women 1 man

Minimum salary: $1,000.08 Beau Scahan, assistant coach (considered full-time for benefits purposes)

Maximum salary: $125,000 president Dale Nitzschke

Worked less than a year, but make more than $50,000

Dale Nitzschke, pres. $125,000

Sakina Drummond, professor communication disorders, $58,760.40

Carol Scates, professor English, $51,144.96