International Events
Congress on Women in Higher Education
8th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women
Women and Higher Education
Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
July 21-26, 2002
For the first time the major international conference, held every 3 years, featured a special theme on women and higher education, with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The Carnegie Corporation had also committed funds for status reports to be prepared in a number of African countries (including Nigeria and Tanzania). In other Commonwealth countries, the Association of Commonwealth universities had provided funding to enable reports on the status of women in higher education to be completed; in addition a number of the women presenting (including women from Guyana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa) had researched the situation of women in management for master's degrees at the London Institute of Education.
The conference was well attended with over 2000 delegates, with the majority from East Africa. The higher education theme had 70 delegates at many sessions, and a special workshop on the day after the conference had 30 delegates discussing strategies for increasing the representation of women in higher education management and transforming the gendered bases of higher education.
Makerere University hosted the conference with great commitment. The challenges were demonstrated by a reminder that on its establishment in 1922, its motto was 'Let us all be men.' There was strong government support as President Musumveni has a commitment to increase the numbers of women in parliament and ministries. The University has a handsome new building for its gender and women's studies department and faculty has been asked by the Vice-Chancellor to investigate how gender can be mainstreamed at Makerere.
Keynote speakers in the higher education section included Professor Joy Kwesiga, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences at Makerere, Professor Amina Mama, Director, Gender Institute, University of Capetown and Dr. Louise Morley, London Institute of Education. Presenters were from Africa, USA, and single presenters from Australia, Germany, Guyana and the Philipines.
From left: Professor Joy Kwesiga (Uganda), Joyce Mbongo-Endeley (Cameroon).
The issues for women in developing countries are major. Women have only recently gained full access to higher education - at Makerere women were granted entry only in 1945, and families still give boys priority. But women are approaching equity in numbers at the undergraduate level in many countries, and flexible delivery through correspondence courses or satellite colleges (e-learning is still out of reach) and late entry have assisted many. The major problems emerge as women approach employment in higher education. Systems at the systemic and cultural levels are gendered. In employment women are concentrated at lower levels, there are poor gender equity policies, recruitment and promotion processes are discriminatory, institutional cultures are masculinist, networks of power exclude women.
There were papers discussing embedded sexual harassment in institutions; and indeed in South Africa a court awarded damages to the most senior woman academic at University of South Africa over sexual harassment charges against the Chancellor, reminding us that harassment is an issue not only for women in positions with little power. Sex-role stereotyping and the dual responsibilities of women are also an issue to be resolved.
In developing countries there are as well difficult and challenging issues regarding the intersection of gender, race and class, in a post-colonial context. Colleen Chesterman's paper discussed the differences and the correspondences between networks among senior women established in Australia and South Africa.
From left: Colleen Chesterman, Zola Makasano (South Africa), Patricia Smit (South
Africa), Ester Keino (Kenya)
Universities have expanded dramatically in number - in Nigeria for example from 6 in 1960 to 46 now. Resources hence become an area of gendered struggle. A paper from Ghana raised significant questions regarding the privatisation of universities and its implications on gender equity, access and governance.
The introduction of gender and women's studies has been a strong step forward in many institutions. Speakers pondered questions of what a feminist academy would be and how curricula could be transformed and appropriate pedagogies developed. Work on mainstreaming and gender sensitivity training were also important in many institutions. There was a detailed discussion of the doctorate in women's studies. And one US delegate reminded us of the potential stress and time of struggles with a report on a lawsuit for gender salary parity taken by women faculty. This witty presentation fortunately proved that fighting back can be good for health and income.
Louise Morley's metaphors summarised the issues: women are beginning to make sounds in higher education; the challenge now is to interrogate the silences, such as sexual harassment and gendered learning.
From left: Professor Abiola Obenige, Professor Leticia Penano-Ho (Philippines) and
Makerere organiser.