Were trying to get out the word to colleagues at other universities that the culture here has changed, that all junior positions are now tenurable, Tatar said.

Though she expressed concern for the downward trend in female junior Faculty for the humanities, Tatar noted that one possible explanation is that more women Faculty members are being promoted to senior Faculty positions from within departments.

A lack of female senior Faculty members within a department can also pose problems when recruiting women to fill junior Faculty positions, Tobin said.

A mentoring system to help junior Faculty through the tenure process might also attract more women to the positions, said Nancy Tobin 49, research chair of CEWH.

Kirby wrote in the annual letter that he hopes that FAS will consider how it can change the environments within departments to make the atmosphere more favorable to women. He encouraged job search committees to pay particular attention to women candidates.

Kenan Professor of Government Harvey C. Mansfield 53 said he does not agree with Kirbys decision to seek out more female Faculty members.

I dont think it should be Harvard policy to favor one sex over the other. Let the best candidates be chosen, regardless of sex. Anything else is quotas, Mansfield wrote in an e-mail.

Assistant Professor of African and African-American Studies and English and American Literature and Language Glenda R. Carpio said that issues of tenure do not create problems only for female junior faculty membersat a University with an aging faculty, recruiting young professors of either sex is important.

Younger scholars need the guidance of senior faculty, but they [also] need the support of people going through similar stages, Carpio said.

Staff writer Sara E. Polsky can be reached at polsky@fas.harvard.edu.