sample project 2011

7/31/2019 Sample Project 2011

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PROGRAM EVALUATION ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE SECRETARYSTASKFORCE ON THE EMPLOYMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN AT THE

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFFAIRS CENTRAL OFFICE

MSA 699 Project Report

Submitted in Fulfillment of RequirementsFor the Degree of

Master of Science in Administration(Concentration in Human Resources Administration)

by______________________

Project InstructorWilliam Mason Beale Ph.D.

August 7, 2011


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Executive Summary

The intent of this research was to discover if the recommendations provided

by the Secretarys Taskforce on the Employment and Advancement of Women in the

Department of Veterans Affairs had an impact on increasing the representation of women at

the management and Senior Executive Service (SES) level within the Department of

Veterans Affairs (VA) Central Office. According to a 2003 General Accounting Office (GAO)

report the VA ranked last among all of the cabinet level agencies for women at the

management and SES level. Sparked by the GAO report the Secretarys Taskforce on the

Employment and Advancement of Women in the VA was formed to research barriers and

provide recommendations to the Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and

Administration.

There are several barriers that may play a part in gender disparity at the management

and SES level within VA. Organizational attitude and culture play a major part in what

employees deem acceptable and unacceptable social norms and attitudes in the workplace.

Many women climbing the corporate ladder encounter stereotypes, beliefs that no qualified

women are available for upward mobility and fear of change. These types of attitudes left

unchallenged send an unspoken message that this way of thinking is acceptable. Another

contributor is the lack of training. Training rejuvenates, educates and provides future leaders

with necessary tools to reach their goals. Unfortunately training and developing others is not

a priority for many supervisors and managers.

VAs training policy until recently had not been updated in the past 20 years and there

are no Department-wide standards or curriculum for training and development of supervisors,

managers and executives. Establishing department-wide standards would hold senior


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leadership, supervisors and manager accountable for leading with integrity and

demonstrating a commitment to an environment that recognizes, trains, and

promotes women.


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Table of Contents

Title Page

Executive..2

Table of Contents4

Chapter I: Definition of the Problem6

Introduction6

Problem Statement..6

Description of Program Inputs and Activities...7

Research Objective..9

Operational Indicators.9

Chapter II: Literature Review10

Introduction.10

Women in Leadership...10

Chapter III: Methodology...21

Introduction.21

Chosen Typology..21

Assumptions...21

Research....22

Data Collection...22

Data Gathering Techniques.23

Data Analysis and Synthesis.. 24

Reliability and Validity.. 24

Scope and Limitations..25


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Chapter IV: Data Analysis.26

Introduction.26

Demography...26

Objective.26

Objective Questions..27

Analysis of Survey Questions Supporting Project Objectives...27

Chapter V: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations..36

Summary36

Conclusions...36

Recommendations37

References...38

Appendix AVACO Data Sheet..40

Appendix BVACO Targeted Grade Level Data41

Appendix CVACO SES Data.42


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CHAPTER I: DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM

Introduction

In 2003 the Secretarys Taskforce on the Employment and Advancement of Women

was formed to address the under representation of women in management and at the Senior

Executive Service (SES) level within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Central Office.

Sparked by the GAO report and a growing concern of the employment and advancement of

women the Secretarys Taskforce on the Employment and Advancement of Women in the VA

was formed to research barriers and provide recommendations to the Assistant Secretary for

Human Resources and Administration.

Problem Statement

A negative organizational attitude toward women in leadership is at the foundation of

VAs under representation of women in leadership. Many women climbing the corporate

ladder encounter stereotypes, beliefs that no qualified women are available for upward

mobility and fear of change. These types of attitudes left unchallenged send an unspoken

message that this way of thinking is acceptable. Another issue contributing to women being

under represented is lack of training. Training rejuvenates, educates and provides future

leaders with necessary tools to reach their goals. Unfortunately training and developing

others is not a priority for many supervisors and managers. VAs training policy has not

changed for more than 20 years and there are no Department-wide standards or curriculum


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for training and development of supervisors, managers and executives. The

VA also lacks an efficient tracking system, which is needed to provide data

regarding career development of women and critical to planning workforce diversity.

Description of the Program Inputs

In October 2002, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs met with 28 women at the GS-14

and above grade levels to discuss concerns regarding the employment, training, and

advancement of women. From that meeting the Assistant Secretary for Human Resources

and Administration asked senior level officials to nominate participants for the Secretarys

Taskforce on the Employment and Advancement of Women in the VA. The Task Force was

mandated to research and obtain best practices from private sector and other agencies; to

work with professional organizations to further enhance VAs ability to recruit, retain and

prepare highly skilled women to become future VA executives and identify strategies to

recognize the accomplishments of women in government.

Description of Program Activities

The Task Force was formed October 2002 and had its first meeting in December to

develop a comprehensive plan that would focus on the current situation, data collection and

analysis, business case and a plan that could be linked to VAs Strategic Plan.

The Task Force reviewed VAs current situation and found that although women

represented 61% of VAs workforce only 37% of those at the GS -13 and above grade levels


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were women. Essentially the concentration of women within the VA were

located at the lower GS levels and the positions held by women were support

positions such as technician, clerk or assistant as opposed to management positions

predominantly held by men. The Task Force also discovered that more training programs for

GS-13, GS-14 and GS-15 level positions were needed. Although there were a variety of

effective administration-level development programs, the VA training policy had not been

updated in 20 years. There were no Department-wide standards or curriculum for training

managers and supervisors.

Performance Criteria

The standard data used to determine the impact of the Taskforces recommendations is the

number of women in VAs Central Office promoted and employed at the GS-13, 14, 15 and

SES level.

Research Objective

The objective of this study was to discover if the recommendations provided by the

Secretarys Task Force on the Employment and Advancement of Women in the VA had an

impact on increasing the representation of women at the management and SES level within

the Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO). The first step was to examine the

previous data.


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Research Questions

1) Were new positions added from 2002 2005?

2) Was the increase of women 10% or more?

3) Is the gap between men and women narrower?

4) Is there a trend among all the grade levels collectively?

Operational Indicators

Indicators of the Task Forces impact would be a trend increase in the number of women

at the GS-13, 14, 15 and/or SES levels over time.


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CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

The objective of this study was to discover if the recommendations provided by the

Secretarys Task Force on the Employment and Advancement of Women in the VA

had an impact on increasing the representation of women at the management and

SES level in VA. This was the focal point of the literature review. The literature

review covered a wide-range of resource materials including books, magazines,

periodicals and web-based information.

Women in Leadership

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM, 2006) showed that women made up

45% of the civilian workforce and 44% of the Federal workforce. Despite the large

percentage women in the workforce they hold less than 5% of top management jobs in

the country (Mitra, 2003). The majorities of positions held by women are usually either

support or staff positions. Women are making great strides professionally by

successfully building careers in male-dominated industries but there are still many

barriers that women face in obtaining management and executive level positions.

Societal attitudes and social norms play a major part in shaping an organizations

culture. Various areas such as academia, health care and corporations are areas

where women have difficulties obtaining top-ranking positions (Mitra, 2003). An

organizations culture can promote or hinder the advancement of women.

Organizations that do not support efforts to advance women may be fearful that


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promoting or investing in women will not yield a profitable return due to life

events such as pregnancy, family responsibilities or uncertainty in a

womens ability to lead.

The family dynamics in our society have changed considerably over the past 30

years and the assumption can no longer be made that a working mother is married. In

researching the needs of a more diverse workforce Keller (2005) noted that women

are looking for more flexibility to manage life as well as career in the workplace. As the

rate of divorce increases and more non-conventional family methods are offered the

workplace encompasses not only married women with families but single mothers with

children to care for. Essentially women make career choices based on their family

care needs (Smithson, Lewis & Dyer, 2004).

DOL (2006) predicts that women will account for at least 51% of the workforce

from 2001-2014. In comparison to 30 years ago women comprise a significant portion

of the workforce today and many companies have been proactive in developing

initiatives to meet the needs of their changing workforce. Many organizations have

implemented work/life initiatives such as flexible and other alternative work schedules

to enable women to succeed. Cultures within CPA firms have changed considerably

over time. Keller (2005) noted a significant increase in the percentage of women at

partner levels at some of the nations Top 25 firms. Despite CPA being a historically

male-dominated profession through education and strategic planning the industrys

culture has evolved into a more woman-friendly environment.

The statistics show that women hold a very small percentage of senior academic

and institutional leadership positions (Todd & Bird, 2000). Due to accepted


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stereotypes such as women being less aggressive, ambitious or career-

minded, discrimination has become a part of the social norm and mindset in

many elite professions. The slow rate of promotions for women in the academic field

lies heavily in the merit system. The merit system yields many negatives for women in

the world of academics because the system evaluates the educator s career from the

beginning to the present for promotions such as having high productivity at the start of

ones career and less later on in life. Therefore, when a woman decides to take a

break to care for loved-ones or chooses part-time work over full-time for a certain

amount of time that break in career produces less than stellar performance results

(Todd & Bird, 2000). Those results account for a substantial amount of women in the

academic field who are held to a standard that is skewed in a way that a break in the

educators career or educating part-time automatically gives a negative connotation.

Research also shows that while 50% of female educators are the main caregivers in

their families a mere 4.3% of men are sole caregivers (Todd & Bird, 2000).

The absence from the job market does not fair well for women according to

the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS only measures the earnings of

full-time not part-time workers according to Stephen Rose, an economist at

Macro International Inc, and Heidi Hartman, President of the Institute for

Womens Policy Research (Bernstein, 2004). Women that leave the workforce or

work part-time lose out in the long run due to less work experience which

equates to lower pay. Statistics show that of 1,026,000 women in the workforce

622,000 worked part-time and 404,000 worked full-time while 1.5 million men

worked full-time and 93,000 worked part-time (Albrechtsen, 2004). Employers


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tend to believe that part-time workers are less dependable or not as fully

invested as full-time workers therefore promotion and training opportunities

become limited as opposed to full-time workers (Smithson, Lewis & Dyer, 2004).

Social norms weigh heavily in how society as a whole views occupation

segregation and discrimination. Occupation segregation is one of the leading

factors in salary inequity. Contrary to belief many women have careers in the

same occupations as men but the discrepancy comes into play according to

Mitra (2003) when women hold the lower paying jobs within the same

occupation. Occupation segregation refers to the distribution of men and women

across occupations, such that women are case workers and men are highway

patrol officers (Guy & Newman, 2004).

Many organizations want to believe that everyone in their organization is paid

equally but that is usually not the case. During an interview with Multinational

Monitor Ms. Heidi Hartmann stated that it is common for an entire occupation to

have a lower pay rate simply because women or minorities commonly hold those

positions (Closing the Gap, 2003). Those jobs held by women are described as

pink collar which Henderson (2003) describes as the kinds of work in which

women are the predominant jobholders and in most cases the pay is less

because women dominate those particular occupations such as nurses, medical

technicians, retail sales personnel, secretaries and clerks. According to the

National Committee on Pay Equity men continue to make nearly $3,800 more in

the nursing field, which is dominated by females (Hessaramiri & Kleiner, 2001).

Another dimension of occupation segregation deals with personal traits. The


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author feels that many pink collar jobs such teachers, nurses etc are paid

less due to an attitude that women naturally posses the qualities and skills

in that profession which leads to women being valued for performance and men

being valued more so for their potential (Thin on Top, 2002).

Occupation segregation encompasses numerous factors that attribute to pay

disparity such as low wage pink-collar jobs, job advancement and the downside

of part-time employment. Though occupation segregation contributes to the

gender wage gap discrimination is another contributor to the pay gap between

men and women.

When dealing with discrimination women encounter biases that have nothing

to do with skills, education or experience but have more to do with an employers

preference and the culture of that particular organization. The attitude towards

women working full-time and part-time across the board varies according to

industries and organizations but there seems to be a general an implication

about male versus female traits and whether those traits enhance or hinder job

performance and the value that society places on those characteristics. Society

views tough, competitive and aggressive qualities as masculine in nature and

within many top management positions possessing those qualities are rewarded

(Thin on Top, 2002). With that being said women that tend to posses those traits

are caught in a catch 22 because tough aggressive women are sometimes

viewed as cold, unapproachable or rude. The sentiment early on according to

Kanter was that women worked well in the office because women radiated

agreeableness and courtesy in the office (Guy & Newman, 2004) and although


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women have moved into more male-dominated industries that sentiment is

still present today.

Discrimination is another barrier that women face in the workplace.

Discrimination comes in many forms in how it pertains to the gender wage equity.

Some of the most common forms of discrimination are pay, job assignment,

promotion and compensation (Yoo, 2003). Discrimination among women in the

workplace is very common but difficult to prove without proper documentation

and reliable data. Hartmann found that 9 to 13 percentage points of pay disparity

is due to discrimination (Hessaramiri & Kleiner, 2001).

Many felt that the Equal Pay Act of 1963 would solve the wage gap because it

clearly states that you cant pay a man and a women different wages for the

same job but it didnt according to Hartmann who also felt that women are

discriminated through promotion, assignment and comparable worth (Closing the

Gap, 2003).

Women that are qualified through specific job skills, experience and education

and are able to enter the more male-dominated occupations there seems to be

another barrier waiting in wings for them as they try to advance in their

occupations through promotions. Promotions can be just as difficult to obtain as

the career but having a career does not guarantee success. A successful career

is created by a series of opportunities that demonstrate skills that are valued by

the organization. Promotions can be a sign of a job well done or can serve as a

reward that the person is doing well and has the potential to do more in a more

advanced or specialized capacity. Career advancement in the area of sales and


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other occupations where promotion is based on productivity or some type of

quantifiable variable is ideal for women but there are still occupations that

have performance systems in place that make it extremely difficult for women to

move up the career ladder.

Although women are under-represented in the academic field there are areas

that are improving such as the economic profession. Research shows the gap

narrowing in economics partly because promotion prospects vary across

institutions and over time (McDowell, Singell & Ziliak, 1999). Institutions that

have decided to modify or reevaluate certain aspects of their tenure program

have taken an active role in breaking down stereotypes and providing additional

avenues for promotion.

The Federal government also assessed their level of discrimination with

establishing the U.S Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), which was

designed to determine whether minorities and nonminorities have equal access

to federal jobs (Ingkapattanakul & Kleiner, 2001, p. 14). The federal, public and

private sectors all have some form of discrimination in the workplace. This is

evident in the number of organizations constantly being sued. The terms of the

discrimination are very vague in nature and sometimes difficult to prove but an

understanding of wage and labor laws aid in deciphering what is legal and what

is illegal. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is part

of the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment Standards Administration

recovered $80 million dollars in 2000 for financial settlements for victims of

workplace discrimination (Hessaramiri & Kleiner 2001).


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In 2003 71.6 million men had a median weekly earning of $683 while

62.9 million women earned $517 (Henderson, 2003). With those figures

growing there is a definite need to identify, evaluate and address factors

contributing to the wage gap. This topic has become a major interest in many

studies and industry and organizational gender stereotypes seem to be another

factor that influences advancement opportunities for women. Despite societys

dismissal that stereotypes do not influence career advancement there are still

negative connotations associated with women in leadership positions. More

male-dominated industries feel that women are caregivers by nature and the

drive and determination needed for success is just not evident. In order to break

through stereotypes and move forward organizations need to reevaluate the

criteria used to evaluate work performance. With family dynamics and society

changing employers face new challenges in a job market that is becoming more

diverse.

The Federal Government has several different pay systems. The General

Schedule (GS) is the largest pay system. It covers most white-collar jobs and

consists of 15 numerical grade levels and their corresponding salaries. The

Federal Wage System (WG) pay system covers blue- collar jobs in apprentice

and journeyman trades and crafts occupations. The Senior Executive Schedule

(SES) covers high level managerial and supervisory positions (Basics of Federal

Government Jobs, 2006).

The Federal government has recognized the need for improved methods to

track and support a more diverse workforce than in years past. According to an


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OPM report to the Congress in 2002 women in the Federal government

represented 69% but when that number was broken down into grade-levels

a decline starting at the GS-5-8 level at 66.7% slipped to 25.1% at the SES level

(FEORP, 2002).

Agencies can bridge the gap by taking advance of the United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA) Graduate School that offers various

leadership programs. The USDA sponsored Aspiring Leader Program (ALP)

prepares federal employees at the GS 5-7 levels for positions as team leaders,

supervisors, and managers. The Executive Leadership program (ELP) provides

individuals at the GS 11-13 levels who have little or no supervisory experience

residential training, developmental work experiences and exposure to help

potential leaders move to a higher level.

The Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SESCDP) is

another program that VA uses. SES represents executive level positions which

serve in the key positions just below the top Presidential appointees. SES

members are the major link between these appointees and the rest of the

Federal work force. They operate and oversee nearly every government activity

in approximately 75 Federal (OPM, 2006). Qualified applicants within civil

service at the GS-14 and 15 level can apply and if accepted are provided with 12

24 months of intensive training, developmental experiences, formal courses

and seminars. Due to the rigorous and competitive selection process SESCDP

only accepts applications every 2 years. Enrollment into those programs is costly

and usually requires the applicant to be nominated by their first-line supervisor.


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Programs like ALP and SESCDP are valuable to organizations that

understand the importance of giving future leaders opportunities to excel.

Many government agencies have taken the initiative to develop and

implement mentoring programs. Mentoring offers organizations as well as

employees the benefit of receiving appropriate training and the opportunity for

organizations to maximize on those skills for the betterment of the organization.

Mentors help to build professional identities, provide access to developmental

opportunities and serve as source for professional feedback.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Agency for Toxic

Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) developed a mentoring program in

1995. Once a year, there is an opportunity for employees to apply as mentees

(chosen by lottery) and to volunteer as mentors; 2002 the program matched 33

women and 3 men mentees with mentors (FEORP, 2002).

Although there are more women needed at the senior level in order to provide

mentorship to other aspiring women, men can serve as mentors for women too.

Management must keep in mind that establishing mentorships with women that

some men may be apprehensive that the relationship could be perceived as

sexual or that he may only want to serve as a mentor to women who have proven

themselves professionally. These concerns like so many other issues in the

workplace should be addressed head on in the workplace by educating and

providing guidance when needed. The rate at which people are retiring and the

increasing presence of women in the workforce is inevitable.


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Although the representation of women at the SES level within VA was

below average (17.2%) according to General Accounting Office (GAO)

report, Enhanced Agency Efforts Needed to Improve Diversity as the Senior

Corps Turns Over, the representation of women VA-wide is well over 50%.

Analysts say that nearly half of the one-point-six million employees in the

federal sector will be eligible to retire by 2008 (AKL, 2005). VA faces losing more

than one third of their workforce due to retirement; therefore the opportunity for

another generation of women to reach senior-level positions is achievable.


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CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY

Introduction

The methodology used in this study was a tool to assist in assessing the

effectiveness of the Task Forces recommendations. This chapter describes the

research strategy, data collection methods, rational survey, and the method of

analysis.

Chosen Typology

The chosen typology is a Program Evaluation.

Assumptions

This study assumes that the leadership within VA is committed to

implementing the recommendations provided by the Secretarys Taskforce on the

Employment and Advancement of Women in the Department of Veterans Affairs

and that the Taskforce was effective increasing the number of women at the

management and SES level within VA.


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Research

The research focused primarily on the effectiveness of the Secretarys Task

Force in bolstering the under representation of women in management and SES

level positions within in VA. A data collection sheet was utilized to record

statistical data of the number of women at the GS-13, 14, 15 and SES level

within VAs central office. Written permission for the study was obtained from the

Workforce Information System Team (WIST) director.

Data Collection

The following programmatic data was obtained from VAs Office of Human

Resource Management and Labor Relations:

- Demographic data such as the number of number of men and women at

the GS-13, 14, 15 and SES level. The purpose was to determine the

number of men and women at each level for a 5-year period.

- Supporting documentation such as the Task Forces executive summary,

business case, best practices, mission statement and VAs strategic plan

were obtained. The purpose was to determine current initiatives, policies

and procedures previously implemented.


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Data Gathering Techniques

As previously stated, a data collection sheet was used to obtain data

necessary for this research. The targeted population was men and women

within VAs Central Office (VACO) location, which encompasses 11 staff

organizations and 5 staff offices. Historical data was extracted for a 5-year

period from 20002005. The population was identified via VAs Personnel and

Accounting Integrated Data System (PAID). Only this population was utilized; it

numbered approximately 3,700 employees. The reason for selecting this

population was because VACO had a better representation of all General

Schedule (GS) and Senior Executive Service (SES) levels.

The PAID system was utilized to extract the number of men and women at

the GS 13, 14, 15 and SES level from 2000 -2005. The raw data was sorted on

a data sheet. From that information percentages were calculated for each grade

and a bar graph was used to graph frequencies for certain data in discrete

groups. Each graphs title represented a Federal grade level. The grouped

data axis or the X-axis represented years 2000 2005 while the frequency data

axis or Y-axis measured the number of men and women in each grouped data.

There are two bars for each data group representing the number of men and

women at that particular grade level at that time.

Before data collection began, approval was obtained from the Office of

Human Resources Management & Labor Relations (OHRM), Workforce


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Information Systems Team (WIST) and the proper authorities within Central

Michigan University.

Trend analysis was used to analyze aggregate data over time. Each bar

graph represented a grade level. Grade levels 13, 14, 15 and SES were used.

Two bars were used to represent the number of men and women at a particular

grade from 2000- 2005. The last bar graph represented only women and the

grouped data contains 4 bars each representing a different grade at a specific

time.

Data Analysis and Synthesis

As previously stated in Chapter I, the objective was to determine if the

number of women increased based on aggregate trend data analysis after the

Taskforces implementations. Grades that showed little or no increase for

women in comparison to their male-counter parts were identified and used to

develop recommendations for corrective action.

Reliability and Validity

When analyzing aggregate data it is important for the data source or system

used to be valid and reliable. Organizations use human resources systems

(HRIS) to input personnel information, actions and extract that data for reporting

purposes. VA uses Personnel and Accounting Integrated Data System (PAID).

PAID is valid for extracting specific personnel data for various types of human


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resources reports and analyses but may lack some reliability due to human

and system errors.

Scope and Limitations

This study focused on the under-representation of women at the management

and executive levels. The scope of the research focused on men and women

within the Federal General Schedule (GS) at the GS-13, 14, 15 and SES within

VACO for a five year time period. GS-15 and SES level positions carry

supervisory responsibilities. Grade GS-13 and GS-14 may or may not carry

supervisory responsibilities depending on the occupation and location. This

study did not include management positions under wage grade (WG) or VAs

Title 5 or 38 systems. The researcher had permission to request from WIST

specific personnel information from PAID.


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CHAPTER IV: DATA ANALYSIS

Introduction

This chapter contains a summary of the collected data and its technical

interpretation. It addressed the problem statement and the opportunities to

improve the representation of women in management and executive level

positions within VACO.

Demography

A data sheet was developed and used to sort historical data of over 3,700

VACO employees. The researcher focused on the number of men and women at

grade levels GS-13, 14, 15 and SES. Only the population within VACO was

utilized for this research. VACO encompasses 5 staff offices and 11 staff

organizations.

Objective

The objective of this research study was to discover if the recommendations

provided by the Secretarys Task Force had an impact on increasing the

representation of women at the management and SES level within the

Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO).


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Objective Questions

The following research questions covered this analysis by looking at the

relevant data in the form of a statement.

1) Were new positions added from 2002 2005?

2) Was the increase of women 10% or more?

3) Is the gap between men and women narrower?

4) Is there a trend among all the grade levels collectively?

Analysis of Research Questions Supporting Project Objectives

The job positions analyzed consisted of four grade levels: GS-13, GS-14,

GS-15 and SES. Grade level GS-13 represented a position with or without

supervisory authority serving as a team leader or expert in their field. Grade

level GS-14 represented a position with or without supervisory authority serving

as a team leader the capacity of acting director. Grade GS-15 represented a

position with supervisory authority serving as a service director. SES

represented executive level positions that serve in key positions just below the

top Presidential appointees. Each research question was addressed at each

grade level. Question one addressed how adding new jobs may affect the data.

Question two addressed the representation of women over time. Question three


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addressed equity between men and women and question four addressed

trends among the different grade levels.

Graphs were used to represent the data. Using research questions as a

premise to address trend and future projections were used as results for data

analysis. The findings were identified and used to develop recommendations for

corrective action.

GS-13 Supervisory and Non-Supervisory. Research questions number

one, two and three were associated with this grade level.

Question 1Were new positions added from 20022005. The number of new

positions at this level increased 14%. In 2002 there were 1231 positions at the GS-13

level. By 2005 a total of 203 had been added to this grade level with women obtaining

over 50% of those new positions. The number of added positions led to more

opportunities being available and obtained by women.

Question 2Was the increase of women 10% or more. Women represented

47.8% in 2002. By 2005 women represented 48.7%. In a four year period the number

of women increased by less than 1%. Although there was not a significant increase in

the number of women, the starting percentages are well above 40%, which is an

acceptable representation of women within the workforce.

Question 3Is the gap among men and women narrower . Women represented

47.8% while men represented 52.2% with a gap of 4.4% in 2002. Women

represented 48.7% while men represented 51.3% with a gap of 2.6% in 2005.

Although the gap decreased by a small amount overall equity among men and women

at this grade level is high and continues to increase.


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GS-13

642589

697

612

686649

735699

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2002 2003 2004 2005

Men

Women

Figure 3: Grade level 13

GS-14 Supervisor and Non-Supervisory. Research questions number one, two

and three were associated with this grade level.

Question 1Were new positions added from 2002 2005. The number of new

positions at this level increased 15%. In 2002 there were a total of 911 positions at

the GS-14 level. By 2005 a total of 166 had been added to this grade level with

women obtaining over 78% of those new positions. Although a slightly smaller

number of positions were added at this grade level woman accounted for more than

75% of the new positions which demonstrated that women are taking advantage of

opportunities afforded them.


36.4% in 2002. By 2005 women represented 42.98%. In a four-year period the

number of women increased 6.5%. Although the increase was less than 10% the


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increase the 2005 percentage is above 40%, which is an acceptable

representation of women within the workforce.

Question 3Is the gap among men and women narrower. Women represented



Although the gap was larger in 2002 by 2005 women had obtained more positions at

this grade level, therefore narrowing the gap by 10% and increasing the equity.

GS-14

579

332

587

397

616

460

614

463

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2002 2003 2004 2005

Men

Women


GS-15 Supervisor. Research questions number one, two and three were

associated with this grade level.

Question 1Were new positions added from 2002 2005. The number of new

positions at this level increased 10%. In 2002 there were a total of 347 positions at

the GS-15 level. By 2005 a total of 42 had been added to this grade level with women

obtaining over 59% of those new positions. Although less than 50 new positions were


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added in a four year period, the workforce for this grade level is half the size

of a GS-14 workforce yet, woman still obtained more than 50% of the new

positions.


29.97% in 2002. By 2005 women represented 33.16%. In a four-year period the

number of women increased 3.2%. As the grade level increases the number of

opportunities decrease considerably therefore women are not represented with higher

percentages to begin with but an increase is visible.

Question 3Is the gap among men and women narrower. Women represented


represented 33.16% while men represented 66.83% with a gap of 33.67% in 2005. At

this level there is a smaller workforce and fewer positions available. With a gap of

over 30% in 2005 it decreased 6.5% which is small but evidence that equity is

increasing.

GS-15

243

104

255

119

257

118

260

129

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2002 2003 2004 2005

Men

Women



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SES Senior Executive level. Research questions number one, two and

three were associated with this grade level.

Question 1Were new positions added from 2002 2005. In 2002 there were a

total of 119 positions at the SES level. By 2005 the positions decreased to 118,

therefore there were no new positions to obtain. The numbers of positions at this level

are more constant with few opportunities for newly created positions.


17.64% in 2002. By 2005 women represented 23.72%. In a four year period the

number of women increased by 6.08%. Women are not represented with higher

percentages at this level but an increase of 6% shows a steady trend for women

possibly representing 30% of the SES workforce by 2009.

Question 3Is the gap between men and women narrower. Women


Women represented 23.72% while men represented 76.27% with a gap of 52.55%

in 2005. Although the gap is larger than any other grade level the gap decreased

10% over a four-year period and despite the smaller workforce and a position

being eliminated the equity increased.


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SES

98

21

95

24

88

27

90

28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90100

2002 2003 2004 2005

Men

Women

Figure 4: SES level

Women at each grade level. Research question four is associated with trends among

the grade levels.

Question 4Is there a trend among all the grade levels collectively. As the grade

level increases the number of positions decreases. The percentage of women at

one particular grade level continued to increase from year to year but the

percentage of women at a particular grade level decreased as the grade

increased. There is more equity at the GS-13 and GS-14 grade level and

transitioning from the GS-14 to the GS-15 level appeared to pose the most

difficulty for women with a 9.8% decrease in 2005.


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Women

589

332

104

21

612

397

119

24

649

460

118

27

699

463

129

280

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2002 2003 2004 2005

GS-13

GS-14

GS-15

SES

Figure 5: All grade levels for women

Figure 6, 7, 8 provide a summary of research questions one through four for

each grade level. Conclusions and recommendations will be addressed in

Chapter 5.

Were new positions added from 2002 2005? 2002 2005 Positions

GS-13 1231 1434 203

GS-14 911 1077 166

GS-15 347 389 42

SES 119 118 -1


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Figure 6: New positions

Was the increase in the number of women 10% or more? 2002 2005 % increase

GS-13 47.84% 48.74% >1%

GS-14 36.44% 42.98% 6.54%

GS-15 29.97% 33.16% 3.19%

SES 17.64% 23.72% 6.08%

Figure 7: Percentage increase

Is the gap between men and women narrower? 2002 2005 Gap decrease

GS-13 4.4% 2.6% 1.8%

GS-14 27.1% 14.0% 13.1%

GS-15 40.1% 33.7% 6.4%

SES 64.7% 52.6% 12.1%


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CHAPTER V: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMEDATIONS

Summary

The intent of this research was to discover if the Secretarys Taskforce on the

Employment and Advancement of women was effective. The analysis examined

demographic data and aggregate data targeting VAs Central Office location.

Historical data was extracted to research grade levels GS-13, 14, 15 and SES

over a five year time period.

This program evaluation demonstrated that the Secretarys Taskforce was

effective by providing recommendations that increased the representation of

women at the management and SES levels within VACO. After analysis of the

data results and research questions, the number of jobs and women at each

grade level increased and the gap between men and women decreased from

2002 2005.

Conclusions

After reviewing the data collected in the program evaluation, it is concluded

that the Secretarys Taskforce was effective in increasing the number of women

at the management and SES level within VACO. There were some assumptions

made before the study was conducted. This study assumes that the leadership

within VA is committed to implementing the recommendations provided by the


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Secretarys Taskforce on the Employment and Advancement of Women in

the Department of Veterans Affairs and that the Taskforce was effective

increasing the number of women at the management and SES level within VA.

Recommendations

Several recommendations can be drawn from this study. Although an initial

study was done, a more in depth study should be conducted to monitor and

evaluate spikes and declines over a period of time. Data supporting this type of

study should be extracted and reviewed on an annual basis and researched and

analyzed to develop strategies to addresses weaknesses every two years over a

five-year period. To understand gender disparity within VA it is would be

necessary to broaden the scope of the study to include demographics such as

occupation, education, location and other grade levels under different pay

systems.

Conducting another study would also give those in senior leadership positions

concrete data that current policies and programs have been effective increasing

diversity or that those efforts need to be reevaluated, updated or eliminated to

support the organizations commitment to diversity excellence.


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Appendix A

VACO Data Sheet

DATA SHEETGS-132000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Men 195 637 642 697 686 735

Women 183 578 589 612 649 699

TOTAL 378 1215 1231 1309 1335 1434%Women 48.4% 47.57% 47.84% 46.75% 48.61% 48.74%

GS-14

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Men 161 534 579 587 616 614

Women 118 289 332 397 460 463

TOTAL 279 823 911 984 1076 1077%Women 42.29% 35.11% 36.44% 40.34% 42.75% 42.98%

GS-15

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Men 92 237 243 255 257 260

Women 48 89 104 119 118 129

TOTAL 140 326 347 374 375 389%Women 34.28% 27.30% 29.97% 31.81% 31.46% 33.16%

SES

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Men 26 95 98 95 88 90

Women 7 21 21 24 27 28

TOTAL 33 116 119 119 115 118

%Women 21.21% 18.10% 17.64% 20.16% 23.47% 23.72%


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Appendix B

VACO Targeted Grade Level Data

GS 13, 14 AND 15 POSITIONS

HELD2000 THRU 2005CENTRAL OFFICE ONLY

JOB NAME=PT06083

YEAR GRADEGENDERM F

2000 13 195 18314 161 11815 92 48

2001 13 637 57814 534 28915 237 89

2002 13 642 58914 579 33215 243 104

2003 13 679 61214 587 39715 255 119

2004 13 686 64914 616 46015 257 118

2005 13 735 69914 614 46315 260 129


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Appendix C

VACO SES Data

SES POSITIONS HELD2000 THRU 2005

JOBNAME=PT06075

YEAR GENDERM F

2000 26 72001 95 212002 98 212003 95 242004 88 272005 90 28

sample project 2011

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