by Karina Guzzi
Daily Lobo
A study looking at inequities in salaries among men and women at the University will start with faculty at the College of Arts and Sciences.
Interim Provost Reed Dasenbrock said the study will look for patterns in inequity, including gender and ethnicity differences.
"We're intending to look very seriously into the issue," Dasenbrock said.
He said he wants to expand the study to the whole University by the end of the year.
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Funding for a preliminary study will last until the end of the semester. Melissa Binder, associate professor of economics, said a graduate student is compiling information on the structure of pay at UNM.
Dasenbrock said the preliminary study shows there are more women in lower-paying fields, and more men in higher-paying ones.
"What we've found so far seems to be a pay difference, but most of it seems to be in the field of work," Dasenbrock said. "Preliminary data suggests that women are better paid in humanities, and men are better paid in business."
Dasenbrock asked Binder, Janie Chermak and Kate Krause, all associate professors of economics, to do the study in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Binder said she proposed the study look into the relationship between salaries and excellence in research and teaching.
"The real goal is to find out if salaries reflect the UNM faculty handbook," Binder said.
Chermak said data will be provided by public UNM records and faculty.
Binder said she is not sure what they are going to find.
"We don't have an agenda," Binder said.
She said she wants to give useful information to the University by offering the administration a complete picture of what's going on.
Binder said she hopes "to help the University see what it's doing and see if it's doing what it thinks it's doing."
Dasenbrock said he commissioned the study about six weeks ago when he was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences after faculty members told him there was concern that there might be differences in gender, ethnicity and seniority in faculty positions.
Jane Slaughter, chairwoman of the History Department, said she will meet with Vera Norwood, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and associate provost Amy Wohlert next week to discuss the details of the study.
They will also discuss merging a similar study done by the Women's Caucus with the study initiated by Foster, she said.
The Women's Caucus study in 2004 showed women make $10,000 less on average, and more women serve in lower ranks.
Norwood said they will know more details about the study next week.
