McGill University committed to correcting gender differential in academic salaries

In a recent memorandum to all full-time professors, McGill Principal Bernard Shapiro announced a substantial new initiative to "close any inappropriate gender gap in our full-time faculty compensation arrangements."

The decision was taken following discussions with the faculty deans and the Academic Salary Policy Sub-Committee (ASPSC). A series of studies at McGill recently showed that "full-time female academic staff are, in general but certainly not in all cases, paid less than their male counterparts of the same age, with similar qualifications and with comparable experience."

Beginning in the 2001-2002 academic year and extending over the following two years, McGill University has decided to set funds aside in an "anomaly envelope". The envelope will be used to cover the base budget allocations needed to correct the gender discrepancies. In 2001-2002, the first year of the program, $350,000 of the anomaly envelope will be allocated specifically for this purpose. Each faculty will be assigned portions of this envelope according to their respective number of full time female academic staff and the statistical gender differential in academic salaries estimated in that faculty.

To establish the amount to be given to each female professor, faculty deans will present Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) Luc Vinet with the complete list of all full-time female professors and faculty lecturers with, if appropriate, their proposed anomaly award and the reasons for it. Vice-Principal Vinet stressed, however, "that not every full-time female professor should expect to receive a pay equity compensation since most of them do receive the same salary as their male colleagues."

McGill also plans to implement additional salary differential corrections to ensure that gender bias does not occur in future. These measures are as follows:

• Effective immediately, the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic) will monitor staffing actions to ensure that future full-time starting salaries and anomaly awards will be as gender-blind as has been the case with the merit increases.
• From time to time, further surveys will be conducted to assess gender differentials in full time faculty salaries.
• The Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), working with the Faculty Deans, will promote the hiring of full-time female academics at McGill.

All media wishing to interview Dr. Luc Vinet, McGill Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), should contact Kate Williams, Director, University Relations Office.