Adjuncting for Life - The Gendered Experience of Adjunct Instructors in Ontario

Oct 15, 2026

Market-based imperatives in Western economies have reshaped higher education hiring priorities, pushing post-secondary institutions toward adjunct and sessional instructors and away from tenure-track employment. This study evaluates 26 adjuncts in Ontario, Canada, equally split by gender, using in-depth interviews and thematic analysis. Findings show gendered differences in working conditions, the research-dossier development process, and health and work-life balance. Policy recommendations include mentorship, longer-term contracts, research funding, expanded health benefits, and affordable childcare.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Neoliberalization and faculty hiring

Background

Neoliberalism and dramatic changes to Canadian universities

Adjuncting for Life: The Gendered Experience of Adjunct Instructors in Ontario Leslie Nichols Wilfrid Laurier University ORCiDs [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2428-9385](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2428-9385) Abstract The market-based imperatives driving economic growth in Western societies have, in ways, both acknowledged and implicit, been used to reorient public institutions-academia dramatically so. This article deals with upending of post-secondary academic hiring priorities, and the impact on the adjunct or sessional lecturers implicated in the change. Over half of the courses offered by academic departmentsand programs in Ontario, Canada, are now taught by part-time faculty members (Pasma & Shakes, 2018). Their use in post-secondary education is underpinned by a notion of just-in-time course delivery in a free market ofuntenured PhD holders. This study assessed 26 adjuncts in Ontario, Canada, equally divided between male and female. It found working conditions, development of research dossiers, and health and work-life balance to be characterized by gendered differences and hardships. Although the difficulties of post-PhD adjunct work have been abundantly documented, this work brings to light components of the experience that have not been previously studied, most significantly, its health effects and gendered nature. It concludes with policy recommendations to support adjuncts in Ontario and beyond, including mentorship, longer term contracts, institutional research funding, extended health benefits, and affordable childcare. Keywords: adjunct, sessional instructor, Canada, post secondary, gender Introduction In the past four decades, across the developed world, the ubiquitous uptake of neoliberal norms has intersected with a growing need for skilled labour. Service and knowledge-based economies have generated an increasing demand for highly educated workers in a variety of sectors including finance, business, health, and technology (Kirby, 2007; Pupo et al., 2019; Rigas & Kuckaprki, 2016). This intersection has made an increasing difference to Canadian universities over the last two decades. Between 2000 and 2019, the number of undergraduate and graduate students in Canadian universities rose from 861,700 to 1,356,000 (Statistics Canada, 2003; Universities Canada, n.d.). This has, in turn, created a need for more faculty. It is impossible to discuss faculty hiring without reference to the neoliberalization of higher education in North America, about which much has been said (Brown, 2015; Giroux, 2002; Hachem, 2018; Rigas & Kuckaprki, 2016). The Canadian constitution gives responsibility for education to its ten provinces and across the board these have responded with cuts to university funding (Canadian Federation of Students, 2013). Government grants for universities’ operations fell from 82.7% of revenues in 1982 to 54.9% in 2012 (Smith-Carrier, 2020). Decreased revenues have increasingly shifted the burden of teach- ing from full-time to adjunct faculty who are vastly cheaper to employ (Foster & Birdsell Bauer, 2018). Most adjuncts aspire to full-time careers in teaching and research, but they far outnumber open positions and faced intense competition for each (The Council of Canadian Academies, 2021). The chance of being hired for a tenure-track position diminishes each year as new graduates compete with those still searching, and mature scholars seek other academic jobs. A large group of instructors with PhDs have now been underemployed for years, with no job security, low pay, limited to no benefits, little opportunity for advancement, and real difficulty building the research dossier required for full-time employment (Crossman, 2019; Field et al., 2014; Foster & Birdsell Bauer, 2018; Sadlier, 2021). Canadian information about this subset of university employees is limited but growing. This study surveyed 26 adjunct Ph.D. instructors across Ontario, Canada’s most populous province. Between

FAQs

How many adjunct instructors were assessed in Ontario, and how were they grouped?

The study assessed 26 adjunct instructors in Ontario, equally divided between male and female. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 male and 13 female instructors.

What did the study find about gender differences among adjunct instructors?

Working conditions, development of research dossiers, and health and work-life balance showed gendered differences and hardships. The study emphasizes health effects and the gendered nature of the experience.

What policy recommendations does the article propose to support adjuncts?

Recommendations include mentorship, longer term contracts, institutional research funding, extended health benefits, and affordable childcare for adjuncts in Ontario and beyond.

Oct 15, 2026

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