Faculty Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: A Systematic Literature Review and Conceptual Framework

Faculty diversity, equity, and inclusion play a vital role in the academic context. Despite the importance of the topic, there is no up-to-date holistic review of the empirical evidence from recent studies. This paper presents the findings of the systematic literature review performed from 2011 to 2023, specifically looking at the empirical findings on the diversity, equity and inclusion of academic and research faculty in the higher education sector. Analysis of the resulting 97 papers reveals the current state of recent research on different dimensions of diversity across multiple academic disciplines. In addition, based on the conceptual trends in faculty diversity research, this paper presents a conceptual framework that integrates the current body of literature. The review also identifies future directions for research on faculty diversity, which includes expanding the range of diversity dimensions studied, exploring the intersectionality of multiple diverse identities, examining diversity climate and management practices, adopting more theory-based approaches, and applying diverse methodologies in different educational and country contexts.