Scrolling through the list of illustrious faces on Provost Patrick Prendergast’s recently formed council, it is striking how much they resemble each other. Indeed, out of the 46 people selected to have the privilege of sharing their expert advice with the Provost, just eight are women.
As the national spotlight shines on the gender inequality that plagues higher education, it seems ill-advised to set up a new body in the College without any consideration for the message that this sends.
This council of “leading alumni and friends” is hardly representative of years worth of Trinity graduates, many of whom – regardless of gender – have gone on to be leading academics, formidable politicians and top players in industry.
Just two weeks ago, the Provost addressed Trinity Women Graduates, making all the right sounds on the work left to be done and went so far as to say that recalling a Trinity without women “induces a chill”. Does the Provost exempt himself from contributing towards the “true equality” he references in his speech?
We know that, with senior positions, the rate at which women decide to actually apply is one of the key factors that stops them from reaching the top. But in this case there was no application process. In fact, it seems as though the Provost simply approached those he thought eligible.
Then there is that this project has been a couple of years in the making. During that time, gender equality has pushed its way to the top of the agenda in higher education. So it seems strange – unlikely, even – that no-one would have advised Prendergast of the issues raised by this lack of gender equality. This is not to suggest Prendergast needs to be taught lessons on gender equality, but for a College that said it thought a vice-president for gender equality was unnecessary, this seems quite startling indeed.
These gender imbalances are never usually to do with a want of talented, qualified potentials. If the Provost’s excuse is that he truly couldn’t find more than eight suitable women, he didn’t look very hard.
