The ABC’s Four Corners investigation into course cuts, staff cuts, university corporatisation and alleged financial mismanagement, aired on Monday night, revealed the worrying impact this is having on students, academics and the community.
They are failures and struggles that unfairly affect women.
Australian women are more likely than men to study at university and graduate with a degree. They are also more likely to study higher degrees, such as honours, masters and PhDs.
So, when universities struggle financially, restructure, reduce staff, and change their course offerings, many women’s degrees are affected.
Cut units and courses
Cuts to units and courses can leave students with half-finished courses and units they did not want to study. It may mean they have to study elsewhere and apply for credit (advanced standing) for the units already completed. This process is often messy, leaving students with units that do not count toward the next degree. So, they end up paying more for their qualification.
This is particularly difficult for women, who often earn less as they experience a graduate gender pay gap. They are more likely to have time out of the workforce as they juggle caring and household responsibilities. This means their student loans (HECS debts) are longer and larger because they are indexed each year.
Arts and humanities degrees (more popular among women) have been particularly affected since the Liberal Government introduced the Job-Ready Graduates Package during the pandemic. This has severely cut student numbers, as these degrees have doubled in price, while others have been slashed.
Many have been surprised that the Labour Government have not addressed this, given their historic majority. However, they say it is complicated to change back. That may be, but for female arts graduates earning less than their male counterparts, it will be very complicated to repay a $50,000 student loan.
Staff cuts
The combination of the Job-Ready Graduates package, continued reductions in Government funding (to half of what it was in the 1980s), and the reliance on disaster-management tactics by consultancy firms has led to many job losses and course cuts across the sector.
Women’s jobs are more likely than men’s to be cut in universities. While over half of university staff are women, pay gaps persist because they are over-represented in lower-paid casual, professional, or junior academic roles. They are under-represented in senior leadership, where these questionable decisions are made.
University corporatisation
Since funding cuts began in the 1990s, universities have adopted a corporate managerial style to operate more like businesses. The idea behind this was to attract more money, to make up for their lost income stream from the Government. However, education, by its very nature, is a responsibility of the Government rather than a business proposition.
Education is meant to empower, enlighten, support and build a country by producing professionals who will provide the skills needed in a healthy society. When you impose a business model on these activities, it is like forcing a square peg into a round hole. This means decisions are not always made for the good of the community, society, students, or staff; it becomes all about the money.
When this happens, everyone is a loser. It means staff workloads are increased, while they live with the constant fear that their jobs will be cut. For women in academia, this is a particular problem, as they tend to be given more teaching and pastoral duties than men. This means there are limited opportunities for career development and lower lifetime earnings.
Australian research reveals that two-thirds of university staff reported very high levels of workload pressure, resulting in poor work-life balance. Another study showed Australian academics worked nearly twice as many hours as they were paid for. A quarter of them reported moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression.
Additionally, to support the corporate business model, there is also more pressure for academics to publish, so they have a better chance of gaining research funding. However, publishing has become increasingly difficult with more journals saying they are rejecting 90% or more of submitted articles. This ultimately affects society, who need research to solve the complex issues we face in our world.
In a post-truth era, as misinformation and disinformation increase, we need access to up-to-date research. When research is delayed or not published, we all lose out.
So, where to from here?
ABC’s Four Corners revealed the extent of challenges facing universities in a time of reduced government funding.
Universities need to realise that their most precious resources are their students, professional staff and academics. Governments need to fund universities properly, remove the unfair disadvantage faced by women in this sector, and exercise greater oversight of what universities are doing.