Dear KhursheedYou are absolutely right, we must see what the consultation document says about part-time workers as soon as it's out. What I can't understand is that HEFCE commissioned this equality and diversity report evaluating the RAE (it covers part-time work, maternity leave and women) http://www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/files/equality-and-diversity-in-the-research-assessment-exercise-2008.pdf/view.Yet this 14mnth decision seems to reflect a complete lack of interest in promoting equality and diversity.BestRosieDr Rosie Campbell Senior Lecturer in Politics School of Politics and Sociology Birkbeck, University of London Malet Street, Bloomsbury London WC1E 7HX020 7631 6785
From: psa women and politics group on behalf of Wadia, Khursheed
Sent: Tue 6/28/2011 09:52
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Maternity leave and the REFHi all,I agree with all the previous emails that it's absolutely essential to fight against the HEFCE proposal which discriminates against women academics on maternity leave that goes beyond the usual 4 months. Can I also suggest that we think about what would be a fair number of publications for submission to the REF by part-time academics who are women for the most part? There was a section on this in the last RAE 2008 equal ops guidelines but few universities paid any attention to it and in practice part-time academics who had 2 or 3 good quality publications instead of 4 were left out of RAE submissions altogether.Khursheed.Dr Khursheed WadiaPrincipal Research FellowCentre for Research in Ethnic RelationsUniversity of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 7AL
Tel: +44 (0)2476 523970
Fax: +44 (0)2476-524324
Email: [log in to unmask]Recent Publications:Refugee Women in Britain and France (with Gill Allwood), Manchester University Press, 2010. http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/catalogue/book.asp?id=1204622Gender and Policy in France (with Gill Allwood), Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?PID=271331
From: psa women and politics group on behalf of Rainbow Murray
Sent: Tue 28/06/2011 09:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: FW: Maternity leave and the REFUCU join the fight - thanks Liz!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Evans, Elizabeth <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 28 June 2011 10:06
Subject: FW: Maternity leave and the REF
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
FYI - I'll let you know when I hear what they're planning to do.
Best wishes
Liz
Dr Elizabeth Evans
Lecturer in Politics
School of Social Sciences
Kingston University London
http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/faculty/staff/cv.php?staffnum=748
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gender-Liberal-Democrats-Representing-Women/dp/0719083478/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306496268&sr=8-1
________________________________________
From: Ann Blair [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 28 June 2011 09:03
To: Evans, Elizabeth
Subject: RE: Maternity leave and the REF
Dear Elizabeth,
I hadn't spotted this. I will pass on to the head of equality at UCU
and make sure it is on our agenda for the next women members sub
committee at the end of next week.
Thanks for passing this on.
Best wishes
Ann
-----Original Message-----
From: Evans, Elizabeth [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 28 June 2011 08:52
To: Ann Blair
Subject: FW: Maternity leave and the REF
Dear Dr Blair,
I'm the UCU Equality Rep at Kingston University, I wanted to draw your
attention to the below. Are there any plans for UCU to oppose this?
Best wishes
Elizabeth
Dr Elizabeth J.W. Evans
Lecturer in Politics
School of Social Sciences
Kingston University London
http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/faculty/staff/cv.php?staffnum=748
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gender-Liberal-Democrats-Representing-Women/dp/0719083478/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1306496268&sr=8-1
________________________________________
From: psa women and politics group [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Rainbow Murray [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 27 June 2011 16:07
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Maternity leave and the REF
For the attention of the Equality and Diversity working group of the PSA
On behalf of the PSA Women and Politics group, I would like to express
my profound objection to the proposal by HEFCE to extend to 14 months
the length of maternity leave that must be taken before a scholar is
eligible to submit three pieces in the next REF instead of the usual
four. This is objectionable on a number of fronts. First and
foremost, the typical paid maternity leave provision by universities
is six months. In order to qualify for the reduction from four pieces
to three, a female scholar would need to have three children during
the REF cycle. This means that a scholar who has one or two children
during the REF cycle would no longer be entitled to any allowances
whatsoever for the disruption caused to her research. Nor is the
reduction from four pieces to three an adequate compensation for the
time lost in the event of three pregnancies.
The likely outcome would be that a female scholar who had one or more
pregnancies during the REF cycle would be ineligible for submission to
the next REF, a policy that would combine sex and age discrimination
and serve to wreak havoc with the careers of young female scholars.
This is completely unacceptable and must be vociferously opposed by
all in the profession. This policy is particularly damaging given the
under-representation of women within political studies.
The proposal is also to be criticised for its failure to take any
account of paternity leave. All responsibility for child-rearing is
assumed to lie with the mother. This risks penalising responsible
fathers and reinforcing damaging gender divides, whereby the mother is
expected to sacrifice her career in order to raise children while the
father is unable to spend time with his children even if he wishes to
do so.
We trust that your working group will join our membership and other
professional bodies in doing all that we can to oppose this regressive
and discriminatory proposal and prevent it from becoming practice.
Sincerely,
Rainbow Murray
On behalf of the PSA Women and Politics Group