Workplace Climate and Gender Equity in Academic Settings: Perspectives from Online Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18050/revucv-scientia.v17n1a1Keywords:
Workplace climate, Gender equity, Online higher education, Job satisfaction, Gender-based inequalitiesAbstract
Background: Workplace climate in online higher education is shaped by organizational conditions, interpersonal relationships, and technological factors. Several studies have shown that these dynamics may reproduce gender inequalities, particularly affecting female faculty members. This study aimed to analyze perceptions of workplace climate and gender equity among instructors teaching online courses in business and engineering programs at a Chilean higher education institution. Methods: A non-experimental, quantitative, descriptive-correlational design was used. The sample included 156 instructors (80 women and 76 men), selected through convenience sampling. A questionnaire adapted to the Chilean context and validated through expert judgment was applied. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparison tests (Student’s t-test and ANOVA). Results: General perceptions of leadership accessibility and communication were positive. However, women—especially younger faculty—reported higher levels of invisibility, limited access to informal networks, overload due to unrecognized tasks, and difficulties balancing work and family life. Conclusions: Although results are not generalizable to the entire institution, they reveal structural inequalities that persist in virtual teaching environments. The findings underscore the need to implement institutional policies with a gender perspective to promote more equitable working conditions.
References
Alpízar-Santana, M., Velázquez Zaldivar, R., & García Báez, R. (2023). El desafío de enfrentar desigualdad y calidad en la educación superior en América Latina. Revista Universidad y Sociedad, 15(5), 10-23. http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2218-36202023000500010&lng=es&tlng=es.
Álvarez-Pérez, P. R., & López-Aguilar, D. (2021). El burnout académico y la intención de abandono de los estudios universitarios en tiempos de COVID-19. Revista mexicana de investigación educativa, 26(90), 663-689. http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1405-66662021000300663&lng=es&tlng=es.
Aldridge, J., Fraser, B., & Ntuli, S. (2019). Teacher–student relationships and gender equity in school environments. Learning Environments Research, 22(1), 1–17. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10984-015-9198-x
Carapinha, R., McCracken, C. M., Warner, E. T., Hill, E. V., & Reede, J. Y. (2017). Organizational context and female faculty’s perception of the climate for women in academic medicine. Journal of Women’s Health, 26(5), 549–559. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2016.602
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2021). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications. Recuperado de https://spada.uns.ac.id/pluginfile.php/510378/mod_resource/content/1/creswell.pdf
Díaz de Rada, V. (2020). Metodología de la investigación social: Técnicas de recolección de información. Editorial Síntesis. Recuperado de https://bibliotecadigital.utn.edu.ec/download/files/original/4a628dda9f88cd8eaf3644ed189b0651ff69db4c.pdf
González-Santa-Cruz, Andrés, & Toro-Cifuentes, Juan Pablo. (2021). Culturas organizacionales y factores de riesgo psicosociales en organizaciones chilenas: Un análisis de clases latentes. Psicoperspectivas, 20(1), 151-168. https://dx.doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-vol20-issue1-fulltext-2006
Huerta Ramón, R. (2018). El Proyecto Mujeres Maestras del Perú: estudio de caso sobre identidades docentes. Educación, 27(52), 46-62. https://doi.org/10.18800/educacion.201801.003
Jiménez Rodrigo, M. L. (2022). Políticas de igualdad de género e interseccionalidad: estrategias y claves de articulación. Convergencia, 29, e17792. Epub 19 de septiembre de 2022.https://doi.org/10.29101/crcs.v29i0.17792
Kessler, S. R., Spector, P. E., & Gavin, M. B. (2014). A critical look at ourselves: Do male and female professors respond the same to environment characteristics? Research in Higher Education, 55(4), 351–369. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11162-013-9314-7
Lozano Lozano, M., Chavez Taipe, Y. V., & Sánchez Ortega, J. A. (2025). La mentoría en la educación superior: una revisión de la literatura. Revista InveCom, 5(1), e501088. Epub 11 de diciembre de 2024.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12629762
Noll Araya, P., Romero Alonso, R., & Araya Carvajal, K. (2024). Clima laboral y felicidad en el trabajo en contexto COVID-19. Journal of Management & Business Studies, 5(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.32457/jmabs.v5i2.2398
Noll Araya, P., Romero Alonso, R., & Ortiz Bacigalupo, D. (2023). Satisfacción laboral y género: Cómo impactan estas diferencias en el clima organizacional. Una reseña sistematizada. Journal of Management & Business Studies, 5(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.32457/jmabs.v5i1.1971
Ponce Tituaña, L.G. (2022). El rol de la mujer en espacios de docencia y cargos directivos en instituciones de educación superior: Estudio de caso de la Universidad Central del Ecuador (2010-2020). Revista Andina de Educación, 5(2), e204. https://doi.org/10.32719/26312816.2022.5.2.6
Rodríguez-Castro, F. X. (2024). El acompañamiento pedagógico como estrategia de supervisión y apoyo docente para el sistema educativo de Puerto Rico. Revista latinoamericana de estudios educativos, 54(3), 95-123. Epub 22 de noviembre de 2024.https://doi.org/10.48102/rlee.2024.54.3.657
Roberti, E. (2020). La persistencia de las desigualdades en América Latina: desafíos para el siglo XXI, entrevista al antropólogo Luis Reygadas. Sociohistórica, (46), 115. https://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24215/18521606e115
Soria Reséndez, A. C, Pedraza Melo, N. A., & Bernal González, I. (2019). El clima organizacional y su asociación con la satisfacción laboral en una institución de educación superior. Acta universitaria, 29, e2205. Epub 11 de septiembre de 2020.https://doi.org/10.15174/au.2019.2205
Subrahmanian, R. (2005). Gender equality in education: Definitions and measurements. International Journal of Educational Development, 25(4), 395–407. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2005.04.003
Taka, F., Nomura, K., Horie, S., Takemoto, K., Takeuchi, M., Takenoshita, S., Murakami, A., Hiraike, H., Okinaga, H., & Smith, D. R. (2016). Organizational climate with gender equity and burnout among university academics in Japan. Industrial Health, 54(6), 480–487. https://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.2016-0126
UNESCO. (2022). Promover la igualdad de género en la educación superior en América Latina. Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000380592
WeiszKohn, C. (2016). Diversificación y fragmentación del mundo del trabajo en la hipermodernidad. Psicología, Conocimiento y Sociedad, 6(2), 7-28. Recuperado en 25 de septiembre de 2025, de http://www.scielo.edu.uy/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1688-70262016000200002&lng=es&tlng=es
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
-
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
