by Aidan Turowski
Daily Lobo
The Women's Resource Center is conducting a survey to find whether women feel they are treated equally at UNM.
The survey began Sept. 6, and results will be available Nov. 31.
Sandrea Gonzales, director of the Women's Resource Center, said the 150-question survey will explore the issues that affect women - such as equality, fairness and how they feel about their treatment on campus.
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"We wanted to find out about sexual harassment, if people have experienced it here on campus," she said. "We wanted to find out about racism, sexism or how women in general feel about working here."
In April, Provost Reed Dasenbrock approved a study in pay equity of faculty in the Arts and Sciences Department after an earlier survey showed women were getting paid less than men. He said he wanted to extend that study to the rest of the University by the end of the year.
"What we've found so far seems to be a pay difference, but most of it seems to be in the field of work," Dasenbrock said. "Preliminary data suggests that women are better paid in humanities, and men are better paid in business."
According to the center's Web site, women have historically been underrepresented in student, administrative and tenure faculty positions in higher education, which is why the center wanted to conduct the survey.
Graduate student Lesley Davidson has been working alongside Gonzales at the Women's Resource Center. She said a lot of women have participated in the survey so far, and about 70 percent of the responses have been from students.
"I initially thought it would be more staff," she said.
Members of the center conducted interviews with students, staff and faculty members to determine the study's line of questioning. The survey will cover five issues, including safety, education, support, equity and community.
Gonzales said many issues need addressing, including pay equity at UNM and sexual harassment.
Gonzales also wanted to see how women manage having a career, getting an education and taking care of a family, she said.
"It's a lot of balancing," she said.
The results of the survey will help refine programs and services of the center as well as provide information to other departments of the University in hopes they will benefit from the results.
Student Dee Baker, a junior, said one issue that concerns her is how men in classes can intimidate women, citing that often men are more likely to respond in class to questions asked by their professors.
"I think women sometimes feel intimidated," she said.
Sophomore Amber Tapper said women don't just want to be treated equally. They want more than men have.
"Women expect to be treated equal, and yet they expect more than equality gives."
The center was founded 34 years ago as a place to focus primarily on issues that affect women, Gonzales said.
She said women can come to the center to discuss the issues that affect their lives at UNM, whether it's information on financial aid, school, relationships, work or anything else.
The Women's Resource Center is a lifeline to many women on campus, she said.
"We witness their pain, we offer them information, we help educate them, we support them in whatever ways we can," she said. "We're advocates to them."
