Faculty Equity & COVID-19: The problem, the evidence, and

Faculty Equity & COVID-19

The problem, the evidence, and recommendations

Scholars have been documenting the unique challenges faced by

faculty of color, women, and other marginalized groups in terms of

their hiring, retention, and advancement.

Many individuals in

these groups were already walking a tightrope to be successful

while managing family responsibilities, negotiating cultural

differences, and having limited access to the privileges typically

conferred to faculty members (e.g., status, security, presumed

competence). The pandemic has exacerbated inequalities by

removing the supports that had allowed marginalized faculty to

stay atop the tightrope. Yet awareness of the precarity of

marginalized faculty offers U-M the opportunity to reset in a way

that better supports all faculty.

E ARE ALL IN THE SAME STORM

BUT NOT IN THE SAME BOAT

There is increasing evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a differential impact on

the productivity of faculty from different groups.

Many faculty report that they are busier now than

before the pandemic, and women are more likely

than men to say they are busier now than before

(57% vs. 43%).

Across faculty groups, there has been a change in the

distribution of work efforts, with less time devoted

to research and more time spent on teaching and

service.

2,3

However, this change in distribution of

efforts is not equal across groups.

• The decrease in available time for research and

writing is greater for women than men,

and

greatest for women with young dependents.

Data suggest that women are submitting fewer

papers and pre-prints, are less likely to hold

primary author position, and are less likely to

submit single author papers.

4,5,6

Disparities may

increase in the next few years as the

consequences of COVID-19 accumulate and

affect scholarly endeavors.

• Women have less time for research and writing

because of their greater caregiving

responsibilities,

and when they have time for

research and writing, they are more likely to be

interrupted by dependents.

• A study of non-academics indicated that men

with children reported being more productive

since the pandemic, and were more likely to have

received a promotion, raise, recognition, or more

leadership responsibility.

• Among non-academics, White workers reported

being more productive since the pandemic

started, and were more likely to have taken on

additional leadership than Black and Asian

workers.

Other work responsibilities may account for

declines in time for research for faculty of color

and women.

• Many scholars report that teaching online

limits their time for research, with women

more likely to say this than men.

• Racial injustice (e.g., racial disparities in

COVID-19 outcomes, anti-Asian prejudice,

anti-Black violence) is creating disruptive

distress for faculty of color.

• Faculty of color and women are doing more

emotional labor through supporting students

and performing service.

Barriers to research also differed for faculty in

different disciplines.

• Among faculty in STEM, those in the bench

sciences had the largest decrease in time for

research due to lack of access to their labs.

• Scholars in the humanities reported

significant barriers to accessing materials for

their research; this was also reported by

social science scholars to a lesser degree.

The publication process may be slowing for

many scholars. Journal editors have noted an

increase in declined reviewer invitations and an

increase in requests for review extensions.

A minority of faculty (24%) report having more

time for research and writing.

• Men (27%) and faculty in STEM (27%) were more

likely to say they have more time to write than

women (18%) and faculty in humanities (22%)

and social science (18%).

• More time for research and writing was

attributed to fewer meetings, lack of

commute, not teaching, and fewer

distractions at home.

HE GLOBAL EVIDENCE OF PANDEMIC INEQUALITY ON FACULTY

COVID-19

IMPACT ON

U-M

FACULTY

In August, 2020, an informal survey about experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic was

sent to members of four faculty networks administered by the U-M ADVANCE Program: the

Network to Advance Women Scientists and Engineers, the Network to Advance Faculty of Color,

the UM-LGBT Faculty Alliance, and the Single Faculty Network.* The results mirror the global

data in many ways (see “The Effect of COVID-19 on UM Faculty Life: Results from a Limited Survey

conducted by the ADVANCE Program” for more detail as well as strategies faculty employed to

manage challenges).

• 77% of respondents reported lower work productivity. Challenges included being unable to

access materials or space needed for scholarship, difficulty collaborating with colleagues,

and inadequate home workspace and infrastructure.

• 37% reported increased workload due to online teaching.

• 33% reported challenges due to caregiving; parents found it especially difficult to manage

work while assisting their children who were accessing school remotely through online

instruction. As a reference point, the ADVANCE Program’s 2017 campus-wide climate survey

indicated that 48% of tenure-track faculty have children they care for, and 13% are caring

for another adult.

• 24% reported challenges in mentoring students online.

• 24% reported negative psychological effects of the pandemic.

• 15% reported an increase in demands on their time related to new COVID-related service,

other administrative work, and the volume of emails.

There are clear warning signs here – about faculty not being able to address their own well-being,

reduced productivity despite an increased workload, and childcare needs (that added to critical

previous childcare needs).

* Note: Demographic information was not collected to preserve anonymity.

Image credit: https://finshots.in/archive/walking-the-tightrope/

To address the disparities that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we offer

suggestions in several areas. These recommendations are based on suggestions offered by other

scholars (see suggested reading section), empirical research, and the faculty we surveyed. Be aware

that because the effect of the pandemic has been felt unequally by faculty in different groups,

identity-neutral responses may inadvertently exacerbate inequality. Maintaining a commitment

to diversity (i.e., greater representation), equity (i.e., adequate resources and policies to provide

equal opportunities), and inclusion (i.e., an environment permitting full acceptance, belonging, and

participation) is critical to avoid significant loss of faculty from marginalized groups.

ECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUPPORTING FACULTY

• Acknowledge to faculty that a “COVID slow-

down” is expected and acceptable.

• Provide supports for conducting and

managing research: e.g., editorial assistance

for papers and proposals; project

management software to keep remote

teams connected and manage workflow;

funds to support faculty on existing research

or as they pivot to new methods and topics.

• Increase flexibility: e.g., allow new faculty to

spend start-up funds, provide start-up

timeline extensions, reschedule sabbaticals.

• Make sure spending restrictions consider

equity (e.g., (un)availability of other

resources).

• Provide opt-out tenure clock extensions for

tenure track faculty but be aware that

these do not help research track faculty.

With awareness that tenure clock

extensions may exacerbate inequality (by

increasing the lifetime earnings of those

tenured in fewer years), consider making

promotion salary increases retroactive to

when the faculty member would have

usually gone up for tenure (as UMass-

Amherst administration has committed to

doing).

SERVICE

RESEARCH

• During the pandemic, reduce service and

meetings to only essential activities.

• Postpone some activities (e.g., internal

reviews, events) and consider streamlining

others (e.g., annual review) to reduce

demands on time and resources. Post-

pandemic, evaluate whether some

committees could be disbanded; consider

that some meetings may remain online

(e.g., faculty meetings).

• Temporarily reduce or waive formal

service for faculty with significant

caregiving demands; this can also make

space for informal service that women and

faculty of color may be engaged in. Pair

this with reducing formal service generally

so as not to shift the burden onto faculty

without these demands.

• Create mechanisms for making invisible

service work (e.g., supporting students

during the pandemic) more visible.

Recognize that women and faculty of color

are more likely to engage in this work

generally, and especially during the

pandemic.

TEACHING

• During the pandemic, allow instructors to

teach in their desired mode (in person,

hybrid, online) without needing to justify

their preference. Post-pandemic, consider

whether some courses might have online

components as teaching online may create

more opportunities for some faculty (e.g.,

caregivers, faculty with disabilities).

• Create more formalized mechanisms to

cover courses for faculty who need to be

absent for more than one or two classes

due to unexpected issues (e.g., illness,

family emergencies) or chronic health

problems.

• For untenured faculty with significant

caregiving demands who are teaching

during the pandemic, provide them with a

course release in a future semester prior

to tenure review. These releases can be

staggered to reduce pressure on

departments to staff courses.

• Give faculty with significant caregiving

demands priority in selecting courses to

teach. Do not expect them to shoulder

larger service courses, or alternatively,

assign extra help.

• Flexibly address teaching needs: e.g., team

teaching, hiring additional lecturers, hiring

advanced graduate students to teach.

• Go beyond how-to videos. Provide one-on-

one assistance with online teaching: e.g.,

with creating videos, setting up Canvas,

improving the accessibility of course

materials. Provide headphones,

microphones, and other helpful

equipment.

WORK-LIFE

• Recognize that the pandemic is likely more

personally relevant to faculty of color than

white faculty because faculty of color

belong to the groups most likely to have

serious health problems or die from

COVID-19, and are more likely to have

family members unemployed due

economic downturns tied to the

pandemic. Therefore, more members of

their personal networks may have been

affected by COVID-19 and they may be

facing additional invisible burdens as a

result. They may also be facing more

significant economic strain.

• Consider whether there are mechanisms

to support faculty parents, especially those

with young children. Could funds typically

used to support conference and research

travel be provided as emergency funds for

caregiving assistance? Could U-M assist

faculty in forming learning pods that do

not recreate inequality (e.g., do not create

silos of racially or economically similar

families)?

• Work with local schools to support safe in-

person learning options for children.

• Recognize that faculty without caregiving

responsibilities may also be facing

significant strain that affects productivity.

• Provide funds to allow faculty to create

usable home offices (e.g., ergonomic

chairs and desks, stable Wi-Fi).

• Be aware that cuts to salary and benefits

may especially harm faculty of color,

women, and contingent faculty because

they already face disparities in these areas.

d d h f

ADMINISTRATIVE

• Delay new, non-essential programs and

initiatives and use staff and financial

resources to support existing faculty

efforts.

• Create norms to reduce the amount of

email, especially outside of business hours.

• Empower ombuds to help faculty affected

by COVID-19 find support. This can provide

a route for faculty to raise concerns

confidentially and may ease pressures on

unit administrators.

• Communicate COVID-19 decisions

promptly.

MENTORING

• Encourage Launch Committees and other

mentors to explicitly discuss modified

expectations and strategies related to

work during the pandemic.

• Consider other mentoring structures to

support assistant professors who are

facing a unique set of circumstances and

more uncertainty than usual (e.g., peer

mentoring, group mentoring).

• Some faculty may be best mentored by

scholars outside of U-M (because of their

scholarly area or identity); provide funds

to compensate outside mentors for

providing this service.

MONITORING COVID-RELATED INEQUALITY

• Develop metrics to assess equity at the department, school/college,

and university levels to determine whether the pandemic is having

unequal impacts on faculty. These metrics might include scholarly

productivity, time to promotion, tenure and promotion outcomes,

salary, teaching and service loads, number of student advisees,

climate and job satisfaction, hiring, and retention. Note that most of

the research on the impact of COVID-19 on faculty has focused on

gender differences. Nevertheless, there are likely significant effects

that differ by a number of other identities including race,

international status, disability, rank, and age.

• Ensure that those most affected by COVID-19 have a seat at the table

when new policies and procedures are developed and when COVID-

19 equity metrics are discussed.

• Provide anonymous or confidential mechanisms by which faculty can

provide feedback to administrators about their needs and concerns.

GENERAL EVALUATION RECOMMENDATIONS

• Decrease faculty uncertainty by communicating clear metrics and specific benchmarks; these

may be determined at the departmental level.

• Articulate the value of teaching and service in an academic world where research is often seen

as paramount. This work has always been essential to the functioning of the university and is

especially critical now. The pandemic (and racial injustice) has resulted in an increased need for

faculty to engage in outward facing public engagement, support and mentor students, and

engage in committee and leadership efforts on campus and nationally. Therefore, communicate

to faculty that this work is valued; align evaluation standards and criteria to match where

faculty have placed their efforts to address the critical needs of this moment; adjust reward

structures to mirror this commitment. Where the balance has been skewed in evaluative

processes, reset norms and expectations.

• To mitigate evaluation bias, inform evaluators of the differential impact of COVID-19 on faculty

from marginalized groups.

• Explicitly inform external reviewers to account for the “COVID slow down” by assessing the

quality (rather than quantity) of the candidate’s work during the pandemic and years following.

• Consider the inclusion of COVID-impact statements as part of the annual review process. The

ADVANCE Program at UMASS-Amherst has compiled recommendations for best practices in

documenting pandemic impacts. However, note that these may require faculty to disclose

personal and/or family circumstances that may lead to evaluation bias. Alternatively, assume

most faculty have been negatively affected.

• Modify expectations around national and international visibility in tenure and promotion

decisions as some faculty, unable to travel to conferences, may have less opportunity to gain

visibility.

• Malisch et al. (2020) provide questions for evaluation committees to consider.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EVALUATING FACULTY

EVALUATING TEACHING

• Utilize holistic teaching assessments rather

than student evaluations to determine

teaching effectiveness. This could include

improvement in teaching over time,

responsiveness to feedback regarding

areas of improvement, evaluation by

trained peers, creative and innovative

teaching techniques (including adaptation

to online formats), sound pedagogical

approaches, development of new courses,

and decolonization of the syllabus (i.e.,

less focus on only white, Western scholars

and forms of knowledge).

EVALUATING RESEARCH

• Prioritize quality over quantity in scholarly

output. Do not let the 25% of faculty able

to be more productive during the global

pandemic set the standard for the 75%

who are not able to do so. Adjust

productivity expectations to be achievable

by the 75%; provide equivalent evaluations

to those who meet those (already high)

expectations with those who exceed them.

• Examine ways in which faculty have

adapted their research program to account

for limitations caused by the pandemic

(e.g., new research areas; learning new

skills; building new collaborations).

• Be attentive to the different ways in which

COVID has impacted faculty in different

fields. For example, those conducting

archival research, fieldwork, or

ethnographic work might be restricted for

12-24 months while those in dry labs might

be able to conduct most or all work

remotely.

• Allow faculty to count accepted, but

cancelled-due-to-COVID, conference

presentations and talks in their annual

review.

Suggested Additional Reading for Policy and Practice Recommendations Regarding

COVID-19



American Sociological Association (2020). Statement Regarding Faculty Review and Reappointment Processes

During the COVID-19 Crisis.

 Cardel, M. I., Dean, N., & Montoya-Williams, D. (2020). Preventing a Secondary Epidemic of Lost Early Career

Scientists: Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Women with Children. Annals of the American Thoracic Society,

(ja). https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202006-589IP

 Gibson, E. M. et al. (2020, June 25). How Support of Early Career Researchers Can Reset Science in the Post-

COVID-19 World. Cell, 181, 1445-1449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.045

 Gonzales, L.D., & Griffin, K.A. (2020). Supporting Faculty During & After COVID-19: Don’t Let Go of Equity.

Washington, DC: Aspire Alliance.

 Malisch, J. et al. (2020). In the Wake of COVID-19, Academia Needs New Solutions to Ensure Gender

Equity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(27), 15378-

15381. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2010636117

 This article contains supporting information online

at https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/suppl/2020/06/17/2010636117.DCSupplemental/pnas.20106361

17.sapp.pdf

 Oleschuk, M. (2020). Gender Equity Considerations for Tenure and Promotion during COVID-19. Canadian

Review of Sociology, 57(3), 502-515. doi: 10.1111/cars.12295

 Scheiber, N. (2020, September 29). Pandemic Imperils Promotions for Women in Academia. New York Times.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/business/economy/pandemic-women-tenure.html?smid=em-share

 See also Northwestern University - Organization of Women Faculty’s Call for Immediate Action to Protect

Gender Equity in the Face of COVID-19.

 University of Massachusetts – Amherst ADVANCE Program (2020). Documenting Pandemic Impacts: Best

Practices.

 University of Michigan COVID-19 Researcher Disparities Committee (forthcoming). Disparities in Research

Progress and Productivity Induced or Exacerbated by COVID-19: Challenges and Recommendations for

Immediate/Short-Term Relief (Phase 1 Report). University of Michigan Office of Research and the Provost’s

Office.

References Cited

Stewart, A. J., & Valian, V. (2018). An Inclusive Academy: Achieving Diversity and Excellence. MIT Press.

Wachorn, D., & Heckendorf, E. (2020, June 17). We Asked 3000+ Academic How They’re Coping With COVID-

19: This is What We Found. De Gruyter.

https://blog.degruyter.com/we-asked-3000-academics-how-

theyre-coping-with-covid-19-this-is-what-we-found/

 See also the “Author pulse survey coronavirus crisis” at https://blog.degruyter.com/wp-

content/uploads/2020/06/De-Gruyter-Author-pulse-survey-results.pdf

Myers, K., Tham, W. Y., Yin, Y., Cohodes, N., Thursby, J. G., Thursby, M., ... & Wang, D. (2020). Unequal

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Scientists. Nature Human Behavior, 4, 880-883. doi:

10.1038/s41562-020-0921-y

Oleschuk, M. (2020). Gender Equity Considerations for Tenure and Promotion during COVID-19. Canadian

Review of Sociology, 57(3), 502-515. doi: 10.1111/cars.12295

Flaherty, C. (2020, April 21). Early Journal Submission Data Suggest COVID-19 is Tanking Women's Research

Productivity. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/04/21/early-journal-

submission-data-suggest-covid-19-tanking-womens-research-productivity

Flaherty, C. (2020, August 20). Women's journal submission rates fell as their caring responsibilities jumped

due to COVID-19. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/08/20/womens-

journal-submission-rates-continue-fall

Andrew, A., Cattan, S., Costa Dias, M., Farquharson, C., Kraftman, L., Krutikova, S., Phimister, A., & Sevilla, A.

(2020, May 27). How Are Mothers and Fathers Balancing Work and Family Under Lockdown? Institute for

Fiscal Studies. https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/14860

Rogers, B. (2020, August 26). Not in the Same Boat: Career Progression in the Pandemic. QualtricsBlog.

https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/inequitable-effects-of-pandemic-on-careers/

Weissman, S. (2020, May 9). Universities are Freezing Tenure Clocks. What Will that Mean for Faculty of

Color? Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, a CMA publication.

https://diverseeducation.com/article/175846/

Gonzales, L.D., & Griffin, K.A. (2020). Supporting Faculty During & After COVID-19: Don’t Let Go of Equity.

Washington, DC: Aspire Alliance.

Mickey, E. L., Clark, D., & Misra, J. (2020, September 4). Measures to Support Faculty During COVID-19.

Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2020/09/04/advice-academic-administrators-

how-best-support-faculty-during-pandemic-opinion

Prepared by Isis Settles and Jennifer Linderman for the University of Michigan ADVANCE Program:

https://advance.umich.edu/, October 5, 2020.

Suggested citation: Settles, I. H. & Linderman, J. (2020, October 5). Faculty equity and COVID-19: The

problem, the evidence, and recommendations. University of Michigan ADVANCE Program.