Percentage of women professors not growing fast enough

08 / 12 / 2022 | Michaela Nesvarova

The percentage of women professors at the University of Twente is still too low - and not growing fast enough, shows the 2022 Women Professors Monitor. There are currently 21.2% of women professors at the UT, while the national average is 26.7%.

Photo by: FOKKE EENHOORN; Fokke Eenhoorn

In line with the national trend, the number of female professors at the UT increased only by one percent in the past year. This means the UT is still one of the three universities with the lowest numbers of female academics in the Netherlands. Lower numbers can only be found at Eindhoven University of Technology and Delft University of Technology.

Source: 2022 Women Professors Monitor.

The slow growth at the national level is a cause for concern, according to the 2022 Women Professors Monitor, which was presented on 8 December by the Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH). The increase from 25.7% to 26.7% represents the lowest growth percentage of women professors in past five years.

At the beginning of 2020, the LNVH requested the universities to set target figures for the period 2020–2025. The UT aims to reach 25% of women professors by 2025. Based on the current growth rate, however, the LNVH warns that this milestone might not be reached. ‘The forecast for 2025, based on the growth from the end of 2020 to the end of 2021, is that nine of the fourteen universities will not reach their target figure,’ states the press release.

Source: 2022 Women Professors Monitor.

The LNVH advocates for ‘extra impulse programmes’ and asks the sector to renew the focus on the retention of female academic talent. The University of Twente is planning to start a new Hypatia campaign in the near future. The Hypatia positions, which are open only to women academics, were first introduced at the UT in 2018. Unlike the initial campaign, the new round should also be open to internal candidates and include vacancies for assistant, associate and full professors.

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Op papier hebben mensen van alle seksen dezelfde kansen om 'hogerop te komen' in de academische wereld. Toch kloppen de cijfers niet. Momenteel is 21% van de hoogleraren aan de Universiteit Twente vrouw, wat nog wel een grote stijging is ten opzichte van twintig of zelfs tien jaar geleden. Drie vrouwelijke hoogleraren, die al tientallen jaren aan de UT werken, delen hun ervaringen en hun adviezen. 'De situatie was zeker slechter toen ik begon.'

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Still glass ceiling in the academic world

It is harder for women than for men to build a career at a university. The proportion of women professors is rising steadily but the glass ceiling has not disappeared, according to the new Women Professors Monitor. At the UT, 20 percent of professors are women and the goal is to reach 25 percent of female professors by 2025.