Uni indirectly discriminating

[Watermelonsugarhi]

Just came on here to rant. I'm a mature student (30s) and also a lone parent. I opted to do a gender module and they ironically put that module outside of childcare hours, 4.30pm-6.30pm.

No one would listen to me and I was not taken seriously until i got advise from the equality advisory service. They advised I was being indirectly discriminated against because of my sex.
They gave me a template letter to fill out stating that the uni has a duty to follow the Equalities Act 2010 and not discriminate.

Well ever since i've sent it, a rocket has gone up their bum and suddenly they can change the times of the module. I also received a big apology.

Why did it have to come to sending a stern letter quoting the equalities act for them to do something. It makes me so so angry. The Uni claims its all inclusive but actually they don't think about mature students especially parents.

@NiceGerbil

God is this still going?

Including
Full time university courses often have evening lectures
What about those studying the (full time!) Uni course around a full time job?
This does not qualify as indirect discrimination and the university made the wrong decision no question
OP is self centred, unpleasant, entitled, has certainly ruined things for all classmates
I'm sure I've missed loads!

That's I think a fairly standard societal reaction when a woman exercises her rights.

Nice to see it on the Feminism board!

Those studying the ful time course around a full time day time job would already be fucked because so far all the classes have been within normal hours - that’s the OP’s point. She isn’t complaining about a course that was advertised as running in the evening. She’s complained that the course she was on that was running in normal hours has suddenly, and at short notice, timetabled a class that will be harder for women already on her course to attend than the men.

This is exactly why the legislation is there - so that women (or others with protected characteristics) aren’t pushed out of achieving because the provider takes the default white/male/able bodied/etc. view and doesn’t balance the relative impact of their decisions on the non-default groups.

www.arcs.qmul.ac.uk/students/study/timetable/

www.southampton.ac.uk/studentadmin/timetabling/timetable-info.page

9-6 is the normal for most universities, not 9-5.

And as it says, you are expected to be available for these times.

A part of this would simply have been time tabling requirements (usually done centrally) and the facilities needed for it, so there's a bit here re the lecturer having not requested a different slot in the first place.

Even what about those working part-time? Especially if the students have an on-campus job, those hours are often set for the entire course period. Change a class time and a student either has to drop the class or quit their job.

Well done op!

I fully agree that 6 is a tricky time for parents. It’s when the daycare and after schools care near me stops.

A day course OR an evening course (when you have them settled with a babysitter) would be so much easier for parents.

Especially considering many of the students are women.

I’m sympathetic to both OP and the other students who may have been inconvenienced by the university’s response.

The problem is that universities try to advertise courses designed for full-time students as also being suitable for study in part-time mode. For some part-time students this works well, but for students who are part-time because they are juggling around a full-time job, this is a big problem. Universities devise these compromise slots like 4.30pm in the hope that those with jobs can leave work a little early that day and that students who want to study 9-5 won’t complain too much about having to stay till 6.30.

Eventually the holdout universities still using this system are going to have to accept - as many already have - that if they want to offer courses accessible to out-of-hours students then those students need their own classes in slots convenient to them, and that students studying in full-time mode or in part-time working-hours mode can’t be expected to attend out-of-hours slots.

Just to update everyone. And the people who were going at me will be happy to know they have not changed the time of the module.

I'm sorry to her that Watermelon. I hope you can find another module that will be interesting.

*hear

Our uni will release the timetable generally a couple weeks ahead of starting. Although it is supposed to be 'student led" this is a mystery to most staff. We are asked for our availability ahead of time. These will be for part time staff, staff with caring responsibilities etc. They will then x ref the requested room type plus all the other permeatations, such as the different courses that can access that module so they don't clash, physical resource availability etc. I sincerely doubt anyone ever thinks "this module will be mainly female students and there may be a single parent". What I'm trying to say is that it was not deliberate, and perhaps it is good to raise it as it could be useful for students in particular circumstances to have consideration but honestly, them agreeing after the fact is not an indicator that they think they've done anything wrong or that they will change processes. It is an indicator that they don't want a complaint or bad NSS score.

Ours will always prioritize mandatory modules for daytime slots so optionals are often evenings and used to be until 9.15pm! (We try and schedule ours to be 7.30pm latest)