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Interactive theater: an effective tool to reduce gender bias in faculty searches

Christine M. Shea (Paul College of Business and Economics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA)
Mary Fran Fran T. Malone (Department of Political Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA)
Justin R. Young (Department of Institutional Research, University of Maine System, Augusta, Maine, USA)
Karen J. Graham (Department of Mathematics/Statistics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, USA)

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

ISSN: 2040-7149

Article publication date: 26 February 2019

Issue publication date: 26 February 2019

514

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development, implementation and impact evaluation of an interactive theater-based workshop by the ADVANCE program at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The workshop is part of a larger institutional transformation program funded by the National Science Foundation.

Design/methodology/approach

This institutional transformation program relied upon a systems approach to diagnose potential causes for the underrepresentation of women faculty in certain disciplines. This revealed that increasing awareness of, and reducing, implicit gender bias among members of faculty search committees could, in time, contribute to increasing the representation of women faculty at UNH. A committee charged with developing a faculty workshop to achieve this change identified interactive theater as an effective faculty training approach. The committee oversaw the development of customized scripts, and the hiring of professional actors and a facilitator to implement the workshop.

Findings

The workshop’s effectiveness in fulfilling its goals was assessed using faculty hiring and composition data, program evaluations, participant interviews and questions in an annual faculty climate survey. Findings indicate that the representation of women faculty increased significantly at UNH since the implementation of the interactive theater workshop. Analysis of the multiple sources of data provides corroborating evidence that a significant portion of the increase is directly attributable to the workshop.

Originality/value

This paper demonstrates the effectiveness of interactive theater-based workshops in an academic environment and of the systems approach in diagnosing and solving organizational problems.

Keywords

Citation

Shea, C.M., Malone, M.F.F.T., Young, J.R. and Graham, K.J. (2019), "Interactive theater: an effective tool to reduce gender bias in faculty searches", Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. 38 No. 2, pp. 178-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-09-2017-0187

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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