Are Women Human Resources? An Analysis of the Relationship Between EEO and Human Resource Management in NSW Colleges of Advanced Education

In a climate of extensive restructuring of the higher education sector in Australia, it is imperative that institutions make the most efficient and effective use of their resources — particularly their human resources. It is important that staff are located in jobs on the basis of their skills and experience and not on the basis of irrelevant criteria such as gender. This is also a fundamental principle of equal employment opportunity. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that tertiary institutions, as exemplified by the NSW Colleges of Advanced Education, employ considerably less women than men in senior administrative positions. Those women who do occupy senior positions are better qualified than their male counterparts but they are still located in the lower ranks of the administrative hierarchy. The implications of these data are explored in terms of the effective use of human resources and compliance with the basic requirements of equal employment opportunity.