RETRENCHMENT IN THE 1980S - THE POLITICS OF PRESTIGE AND GENDER

Data from AAUP retrenchment cases reported from 1980-90 show that resources were not simply being cut back but being reallocated within the university and that new resources were being concentrated on already resource-rich areas. Faculty in fields able to position themselves close to the market and locate themselves in broad political discourse on productivity were generally not cut, whereas those who were unwilling or unable to participate in the discourse of the market, productivity, and competitiveness were cut. A disproportionate number of fields with majority female student bodies were cut.