Gender competency in public administration education

DOI10.1177/0144739419840766
Date01 July 2019
Published date01 July 2019
AuthorNicole M Elias,Maria J D’Agostino
Subject MatterArticles
TPA840766 218..233
Article
Teaching Public Administration
Gender competency
2019, Vol. 37(2) 218–233
ª The Author(s) 2019
in public administration
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DOI: 10.1177/0144739419840766
education
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Nicole M Elias
Department of Public Management, John Jay College of
Criminal Justice, City University of New York, USA
Maria J D’Agostino
Department of Public Management, John Jay College of Criminal Justice,
City University of New York, USA
Abstract
Sex and gender are evolving identity categories with emergent public policy and admin-
istration needs. To respond to the diverse landscape of sex and gender issues in the public
sector, greater competency is needed. This research will contribute to the body of work
on sex and gender in public administration by asking the following questions: (a) what do
graduate students in Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs know about gender
competency, (b) have graduate students learned gender competency in their MPA cour-
sework, and (c) how can gender competency in MPA education be further developed and
promoted? This study provides a critical analysis of one MPA program, at John Jay College,
City University of New York, to begin this line of research. Our e-survey results of a non-
random sample of John Jay MPA students demonstrate that many students do not learn
about gender competency through their MPA education and that gender competency skills
otherwise obtained are limited. To address this, we emphasize the need for incorporating
gender competency into MPA education as the first step in equipping future practitioners
with skills to promote gender competency in public policy, administrative decision making,
and workplace culture. We provide practical means of achieving greater gender compe-
tency in MPA curricula and programming and articulate the importance of expanding this
research to other MPA programs, MPA faculty and directors, and geographic regions.
Keywords
Gender competency, cultural competency, diversity, public sector, MPA education
Corresponding author:
Maria J D’Agostino, Department of Public Management, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of
New York, 445 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019, USA.
Email: mdagostino@jjay.cuny.edu; Telephone: 212-237-8068

Elias and D’Agostino
219
Introduction
Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs prepare students for leadership roles in
the public sector and ensure that students are capable “of responding to the needs of a
diverse citizenry through education, engagement, and participation” (Blessett and Lopez-
Littleton, 2015: 559). Historically, and even today, a focus on competencies targeting sex
and gender identities has been missing (Schachter, 2017). In the history of the field, only
two symposia have focused on women in the public sector. In 1976, Nesta Gallas edited “A
symposium: Women in public administration” appearing in Public Administration Review
(Gallas, 1976). In 2017, Maria D’Agostino and Nicole Elias edited “The future of women
in public administration” in Administration & Society. The 1976 and 2017 symposia
provided a starting point for bringing sex and gender into the mainstream public admin-
istration literature. To respond to the evolving needs of sex and gender populations within
public organizations and among citizens, a greater focus on building gender competency in
MPA curricula should be undertaken. This research is a promising next step for increasing
awareness of tools and gender competency in MPA education.
We define gender competency as the knowledge, skills, and abilities utilized in public
organizations for the purpose of promoting representation and equity of sex and gender
identities. Below are the Universal Competencies put forth in Standard 5.1 of the Net-
works of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA):
to lead and manage in public governance;
to participate in and contribute to the policy process;
to analyze, synthesize, think critically, solve problems and make decisions;
to articulate and apply a public service perspective; and
to communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce
and citizenry (NASPAA Standards, 2009: 7).
From these Universal Competencies, we developed more nuanced gender competen-
cies based on key gendered aspects of public service described in the academic literature.
For ease of understanding and organization, the gender competencies are grouped into
three categories: “Public Governance and Administrative Behavior,” “Policy Process
and Implementation,” and “Public Service Perspectives in Human Resource Manage-
ment Functions.” We recognize that there is overlap in these competencies, and that
many of the knowledge, skills, and abilities could be placed within other categories. For
example, a gendered approach “to lead and manage in public governance” would require
one to be able to “Recognize gender equity, Promote equitable gender roles, Promote
equitable gender leadership, Eliminate gender bias, Combat the gender wage gap, Apply
gender in decision making, and Ensure gender equity in decision making” (see Table 1).
Considering topics of equity, representation, policy, and administrative decision
making, a critical teaching challenge is that of determining how to equip MPA students
as future practitioners with the competencies they need to address pressing sex and
gender issues in the public sector. This project addresses the following research ques-
tions: (a) what do graduate students in MPA programs know about gender competency,

220
Teaching Public Administration 37(2)
Table 1.
Competencies.
Public Governance and Administrative Behavior
Recognize gender inequity
Promote equitable gender roles
Promote equitable gender leadership
Eliminate gender bias
Combat the gender wage gap
Apply gender in decision making
Ensure gender equity in decision making
Policy Process and Implementation
Ensure gender equity in policy making
Ensure gender equity in policy implementation
Ensure equity in citizen engagement
Ensure gender equity in citizen representation
Public Service Perspectives in Human Resources Management Functions
Ensure a fair hiring process
Ensure gender is not a factor in promotion
Ensure gender is not a factor in turnover
Ensure pay equity
Promote fairness in sex assigned job roles
Prevent sexual harassment and discrimination
(b) have graduate students learned gender competency in their MPA coursework, and (c)
how can gender competency in MPA education be further developed and promoted?
To answer these questions, we first review scholarship on cultural competency and
gender competency in public administration. Then, we detail the design of our
gender competency survey of MPA students at John Jay College, City University of
New York (CUNY). Next, we present our analysis and findings of John Jay College,
CUNY MPA educational experiences with gender competency. Finally, although not
generalizable, we provide recommendations to build gender competency into MPA
education and programming and pose new research directions to expand scholarship
on gender competency.
Literature review
The concern for culturally and gender competent public servants increases along with the
increasing diversity in public agencies and among the US citizenry. NASPAA’s 2013
diversity report revealed that the number of female faculty members had almost tripled
from 12% to 34% between 2000 and 2013 (Primo, 2013). Yet, women still remain in the
minority in faculty positions. For example, women have been and continue to be
underrepresented in higher education (Go´mez Cama et al., 2016). The role of public
administration programs is to prepare students for leadership roles in the public sector
through education and engagement that foster cultural and gender equity (Blessett and
Lopez-Littleton, 2015). To do this, a greater focus on building gender competency in

Elias and D’Agostino
221
MPA education should be undertaken. Few scholars have focused specifically on gender
competency. Instead, most attention has been devoted to the more general approach,
cultural competency (Blessett and Lopez-Littleton, 2015; Gooden and Norman-Major,
2012; Carrizales, 2010). Our review of the literature begins by covering cultural com-
petency in MPA curricula and then focuses more specifically on gender competency in
MPA curricula.
Cultural competency in MPA curricula
Cultural competence entails developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences and
gaining knowledge of different cultural practice. In the context of public administration,
cultural competency refers to the “ability of organizations and individuals to work
effectively in cross-cultural or multicultural interactions” (Fernandopulle, 2007: 16).
Carrizales (2010) addresses two specific questions related to cultural competency in
academia: first, what role do academic programs have in promoting and fostering a cultural
competency dialogue and, second, where can opportunities for cultural competency
initiatives be placed within the public affairs curriculum? With increasingly changing
demographics in the US, public administration research has emphasized the need to
explore cultural competency initiatives (Carrizales, 2010). Carrizales’s research suggests
that incorporating cultural competency in the curricula of higher education has been
explored and practiced for decades, specifically within higher education for health pro-
fessions. Cultural competency has become a key component of successful service delivery
as well...

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