Thanks for that question.
You're absolutely right. If we don't get to the bottom of the issue of why the pay inequity is there in the first place, then we haven't corrected the problems.
That's why I said that fixing the problem has to be part of a broader strategy that includes thinking very deeply about unconscious bias throughout the system. We look at, for example, starting salaries to ensure that with new hires we're not recreating a problem. We need to look at other points—for example, merit assessment, promotion, tenure, all of those things, and Susan mentioned some of this as well—to identify whether in any of those academic review processes we also have bias.
We need to think about what we mean by excellence and merit in academic settings, and be conscious that there are many different ways one can demonstrate excellence.
That's something that this concept of unconscious bias.... We need to start a dialogue and maintain a dialogue that is based on the evidence—and there is a lot of evidence in the literature about what some of these biases are—and bring them to the forefront and catalyze regular conversations across the faculty and for all those involved in making these decisions along one's career path. That's the way, ultimately, to ensure we're not recreating a problem over time.
Then obviously it's assessing regularly, which I think Susan mentioned as well. You have to keep redoing this analysis to check.