- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: Keerthi Mohan
ACADEMIC staff at UK universities belonging to black and minority ethnic backgrounds are paid less than their white counterparts, analysis released on Monday (14) shows.
Research by the University and College Union also showed that BME staff members are considerably less likely to hold senior positions. While one in nine white academic staff hold top positions, only one in 33 black staff hold senior roles.
The overall pay gap of 9 per cent between white and BME staff, the research shows.
A white academic staff takes home an average of £49,000 a year, while that of a black academic staff is just over £42,000.
Asian academic staff have a smaller pay gap (9 per cent) compared to white academic staff than black academic staff (14 per cent).
Prof Kalwant Bhopal, the deputy director of the Centre for Research in Race and Education at Birmingham University, called the findings a “wake-up call” for universities.
“If universities are serious about inclusion, social justice and equality then surely the time has come for the race equality charter to be mandatory and directly linked to research funding – and for universities to address the perpetuation and reinforcement of white privilege that continues in higher education,” Bhopal was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
The UCU general secretary, Jo Grady, said systematic changes are need to make any headway to change the scenario.
Grady said: “These figures lift the lid on the extent of the race pay gaps in universities and the lack of representation of BME staff at the top level. It is quite shocking that we are having to ballot our members to get universities to start seriously addressing the issue of unequal pay and progression in higher education.
“If you are a black academic then there is just a one in 33 chance you’ll be a professor, compared to one in nine for your white peers. It is going to take systematic change and some difficult conversations if we are going to make any headway. Universities need to work with us to address the issue and recognise that they will need to transform their practices to implement real change for BME staff.”
