Progress towards employment equity in institutions of higher education in South Africa

Abstract

This article aimed at investigating the progress made with the problem of Employment Equity (EE) in higher education institutions since the new education dispensation was launched in 1994. South African universities have embarked upon a wide range of initiatives to foster and acclimatise to new social development needs. However, it was found that the composition of staff in higher education institutions failed to reflect the demographic realities of South Africa, with the result that black people and women were still severely under-represented, especially in senior academic management positions. Quantitative research methods were employed to collect data from the academic managers of the University of Pretoria, University of Witwatersrand, and Free State University. The study concluded that white males were still dominating in managerial positions of selected universities and white females were adequately represented, particularly in the professional and academic categories.