“A BASTION OF THE MIDDLE CLASS”: HEAVY BARRIERS TO ENTRY FOR JUNIOR ACADEMICS

30 Nov

To the outside world, academic institutions may seem like veritable playgrounds where funding is abundant and studious types tinker away on frivolous pursuits.

For many finding their feet in modern universities, this is not the case.

“The fact so many people are chasing the same thing means that people are working for free or for very low wages,” said a former lecturer at the University of Limerick, who requested to be unnamed.

The source intimated that a “neoliberal ethos” within third-level institutions gave rise to an environment in which severe competition for research and permanent teaching positions allows universities across the board to exploit the labour of junior academics – many of whom are on “precarious” rolling contracts.

As a result of the rolling contract culture and poor wage conditions, high barriers to entry have been set for academics looking to break into university careers.

Wage gap.

According to careers website Indeed.com, the average salary for a research assistant is €28,085 (University of Limerick) - a role given to many junior academics reading for PhDs or starting out in academia. In University College Cork, a research assistant earns €28,992. The same position in University College Dublin can draw a salary of €26,340.

By contrast, the average salary for a tenured professor in each of these universities is in excess of €130,000.

There are many hidden costs for career academics too. Registration fees and travel expenses at conferences, as well as submission and administration fees when publishing research in journals, all come into the equation. Often these are relegated to out-of-pocket expenses for non-permanent university staff due to budgetary restrictions.

“Definitely there would be a class issue,” the former lecturer at UL noted.

“It's an awful lot harder for somebody who maybe hasn't [additional] financial support because you do spend years struggling.”

They also indicated how pursuing a career in academia feels more like a risk than an attainable goal.

Middle-class bastion.

This lack of financial stability for junior staff members leads universities, in the opinion of the former lecturer, to become “a bastion of middle and upper-class people” as more individuals with independent monetary resources or support rise through the ranks.

This in turn “effects how the world is viewed through academic prisms because it's being seen from a middle-class perspective.”

The source also fears that precarious rolling contracts have an impact on the education received by students.

“If you don't feel that you're going to be teaching the same module for a few years, you're not going to invest the same time into it because you're not going to get the same return on it. Also, you’re not going to perfect it.”

The gender divide.

Gender too appears to be a barrier for academics seeking career stability. The European University Institute reports that 50 percent of lecturers in Ireland are women. However, only approximately 10 percent of professor positions are filled by women.

In a recent interview with Hot Press Magazine, University of Limerick President Professor Kerstin Mey addressed this imbalance:

“Part of my role as a woman president of a university is to be an enabler of equality in the institution itself, as well as in the academic field as a whole.

“The University of Limerick doesn’t just focus on gender equality – we were the first Irish university to achieve the Athena Swan award in 2018 [an initiative introduced to promote gender equality in higher education] and we have since had a comprehensive policy review to ensure that equality is enshrined in all areas.”

Certainly.

When asked if the current barriers to entry in academia were so high as to turn them away from pursuit of their vocation, the source’s reply was succinct: “Certainly”.