Even though women receive nearly half the Ph.Ds granted in the United States, they account for only 20 percent of tenure-track faculty positions at research universities -- a discrepancy that stems from gender bias that federal law fails to protect against, says a UC Davis scholar. Women in academia rarely benefit from employment discrimination laws because Supreme Court interpretations make it increasingly difficult to prove intentional discrimination, says Martha West, a UC Davis law professor, writing in the Temple (University) Law Review. In addition, the subjective nature of faculty personnel evaluation and decisions often obscures a subconscious bias that is nearly impossible to overturn through litigation. For faculty women to overcome discrimination, they should look more to political, rather than legal solutions, and try to change the way universities operate, she says. West suggests the gender bias could be eased if universities would hire faculty at the entry-level assistant professor rank; enforce affirmative action plans; develop aggressive faculty recruitment programs that target women; and include more women in administrative, decision-making positions.