Pointing to progress in recruitment and retention of female faculty, the University annouced a nearly 1 percent increase in the number of female professors.
The second annual Gender Equity Report, published in the Almanac, is part of the administration's continuing response to a study in 2001 that found Penn consistently falling behind its peer institutions in the hiring of female professors.
The recent numbers show that the proportion of women on Penn's faculty has increased from 23.8 percent in 1999 to 26.5 percent in 2003, a rise of nearly 1 percentage point within the past year.
University Provost Robert Barchi said he was pleased with the results.
"Remember, this is a big tanker," he said. "A change of 1 percent is huge ... this is a big deal."
Yet some faculty members remained skeptical despite the report's positive outlook.
Dental School Biochemistry Professor Phoebe Leboy, who played a key role in bringing this issue to the administration's attention, described the University's efforts as "variable."
"Some departments have done very well," she said. "Others have done very poorly."
Leboy suggested that the administration should publish more detailed information in order to pinpoint problem areas.
Religious Studies Professor Ann Matter noted that, while there has been an increase in women among junior faculty, "it's hard to see that there's been a solid improvement in the tenured faculty level."
Provost Barchi emphasized the role of the faculty -- which he praised for its receptiveness -- in pursuing gender equity.
"It's really important to appreciate that the faculty recruit the faculty," Barchi said. "This is not a top-down initiative."
The report points to steps taken by the University over the past two years to promote gender equity.
Each of Penn's 12 schools has drawn up plans to increase diversity. All have committed to providing career mentoring services for junior faculty.
Schools are now required to collect and report statistics on the number of women who applied and were interviewed for professorships, as well as the number who were offered positions, the number who accepted and the number of women on each search committee.
Funding for the Provost's Gender Equity Recruitment and Retention Fund, aimed at wooing female candidates who have been offered professorships, was almost doubled to $842,931 in 2004.
The Gender Equity Report demonstrates that schools across the University are interviewing and making offers to proportionally more women than would be expected from applicant pools.
The report credits the faculty, who "are working hard to identify the best women candidates available in each applicant pool, and are encouraging these applicants to continue moving through the search process."
An update to the Gender Equity Report is scheduled to be released in March.
