What White Women Should Know About Gender Equality in UK Higher Education

The fight for gender equality in UK higher education has made significant strides over the past few decades. Women now make up a majority of undergraduate students and have increasing representation in academic and leadership roles. However, while these gains are often framed as victories for all women, the reality is far more complex.

For white women in academia, gender-based inequalities are real and deserve attention. But what is often overlooked is how race intersects with gender, creating a deeply uneven playing field. While white women have seen measurable progress in hiring, promotions, and leadership roles, Black and other minoritized women still face entrenched barriers that go beyond gender alone.

If white women in academia are truly committed to gender equality, they must confront the uncomfortable reality that their success has not been shared equally. This means acknowledging privilege, challenging racial disparities in higher education, and using their influence to push for true inclusivity—not just for themselves, but for all women.

The Gender Equality Illusion in UK Academia

On the surface, UK higher education appears to be progressing toward gender equality. Women now make up around 58% of undergraduate students, and institutions proudly promote their efforts to increase female participation in STEM fields, research, and senior leadership.

However, when we examine who is benefiting from these initiatives, a pattern emerges. White women have been the primary beneficiaries of gender-focused policies, while Black, South Asian, and other racialised women remain underrepresented and underpaid in the sector.

For example:

• Women in Senior Leadership: In 2023, women held nearly 30% of vice-chancellor positions in UK universities. While this is a step forward, the vast majority of these women are white. There has never been a Black female vice-chancellor at a Russell Group university.
• The Pay Gap: The gender pay gap is well-documented in academia, but the racial pay gap is even more severe. Black women academics earn, on average, 14% less than their white female counterparts and are disproportionately placed in lower-paying, precarious contracts.
• Professorships: White women have made significant gains in securing professorial roles, but Black women remain less than 1% of UK professors—a statistic that has barely changed in decades.

The fact that white women have benefited from gender equality policies while racialised women remain excluded shows that gender-based solutions alone are not enough. If the goal is true equality, then race cannot be ignored.

The Racial Divide in Academic Careers

One of the most striking disparities in UK academia is career progression. White women have successfully advanced in higher education leadership, yet Black and brown women remain stuck in junior roles, on casual contracts, or pushed out of academia entirely.

Consider the issue of promotions:

• White women, despite facing sexism, are still far more likely to be mentored, sponsored, and supported in career progression than their Black counterparts.
• Black women face higher rates of rejection for research funding, making it harder for them to secure permanent academic positions.
• Workplace bullying and racial microaggressions are widespread in UK universities, disproportionately affecting Black and Asian female academics. A 2022 University and College Union (UCU) report found that Black women in academia were twice as likely to experience workplace bullying as white women.

This racial divide means that while white women have gained more influence in universities, they are often silent on the barriers facing racialised women. The question is: Will they acknowledge their privilege and use their platforms to advocate for true equity?

 

White Feminism in Higher Education: The Problem with "Women First" Policies

One of the key problems in academia is how gender equality is often framed as a women vs. men issue, rather than addressing how race shapes women's experiences.

Many gender-based policies in universities focus on increasing "women's representation," but when left unchallenged, they default to benefiting white women. This is a pattern seen in:

• Athena SWAN Charter: Designed to promote gender equality in higher education, Athena SWAN has helped increase the number of women in senior roles. However, it has been criticised for failing to address how racism impacts career progression for Black and Asian women.
• All-Women Shortlists: While these initiatives have helped white women move into senior leadership, they rarely result in meaningful change for women of colour, who continue to be overlooked.

When white women in academia fail to acknowledge how racial privilege benefits them, they reinforce a system where gender equality means equality for white women first, while others are left behind.

What White Women in Academia Can Do

If white women in UK higher education truly want gender equality for all women, they must take active steps to challenge racial inequalities within the sector. This means:

1. Recognising Privilege: Acknowledging that gender-based disadvantages do not erase racial advantages is the first step toward genuine allyship.
2. Advocating for Racial Pay Gap Reporting: Universities must be pushed to track and report not just gender pay disparities but also the racial pay gap, so that inequalities faced by Black and brown women are no longer hidden.
3. Calling Out Institutional Racism: White women in leadership must be willing to challenge discriminatory hiring practices, lack of funding for Black female academics, and workplace racism.
4. Mentoring and Sponsorship: White women who have benefited from gender equality policies should actively support racialised women in academia, using their influence to advocate for real career progression.
5. Supporting Intersectional Policies: Feminist initiatives in academia must move beyond "women first" approaches and ensure that solutions benefit all women, not just white women.

 

Final Thoughts

White women in UK higher education have made undeniable progress in breaking gender barriers. However, the question remains: At whose expense?

If gender equality in academia only advances white women while Black and brown women remain excluded, then it is not true equality—it is privilege under a different name.

It is time for white women in academia to move beyond self-serving feminism and actively fight for racial justice within the sector. Because until all women are included in the conversation, gender equality remains an illusion.

 

 

Reference List

Advance HE. (2024). Equality in higher education: Staff statistical report 2024. Advance HE. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/news-and-views/equality-higher-education-staff-statistical-report-2024

Nature. (2023). Gender and race representation in UK academia. Nature Human Behaviour, 7, 1-12. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-02481-5

Universities UK. (2021). Closing the gap: Black, Asian, and minority ethnic student attainment at UK universities. Universities UK. https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/sites/default/files/field/downloads/2021-07/bame-student-attainment.pdf

University and College Union (UCU). (2022). Experiences of workplace discrimination among Black and minority ethnic academics. UCU. https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/975/The-diverse-academy---pay-and-employment-of-academic-and-professional-staff-in-UK-HE-by-gender-and-ethnicity-AUT-Oct-05/pdf/diverseacademy_oct05.pdf

University and College Union (UCU). (2023). The ethnicity pay gap in UK higher education. UCU. https://www.ucu.org.uk

University of Birmingham. (2023). Gender and ethnicity pay gap report 2023. University of Birmingham. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/documents/university/edi/gender-and-ethnicity-pay-gap-report.pdf

University of Sussex. (2024). Ethnicity pay gap report 2024. University of Sussex. https://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/64079