The Gender Balance of Academic Economics in the UK

Abstract

Executive summary: Women make up approximately 30% of the research/PhD students, 15% of the lecturers, 10% of the readers/senior lecturers and 5% of the professors. Males in standard full-time academic jobs are twice as likely to be at a senior level (above lecturer) than women (46% compared to 23%). There are few part-time jobs in standard academia and these jobs are dominated by men. It will take some 10 years for the relative stock of female permanent lecturers to equal the proportion (27%) of women in the inflows to that grade. Inflows via new hires into the senior grades were not high enough to have a significant impact on the relative stocks of females at the more senior level. Research-only jobs make up 15% of all full-time academic jobs, most are fixed-term. Research-only jobs are dominated by males although to a lesser extent than occurs in standard full-time academic jobs (some 70% male). Women make up the majority of the very few part-time research-only jobs (26 of 48 jobs). Men are twice as likely to occur in senior level research-only jobs than women. Both men and women are twice as likely to be at senior levels if they work in standard academic jobs than in research-only jobs. There is little difference in the relative position of female academics between new universities, old universities, departments with 4 and above RAE rankings, and those ranked 3 or below. There are 329 women currently enrolled in full-time research/PhD degrees, there are 312 women currently employed full-time in academia. 30% of the PhD students are from the UK; 27% of the females and 32% of the males. Some 80% of the PhD students are enrolled in the 4 or 5 RAE ranked departments: this proportion is the same for males and females. The majority of recent PhD graduates have not taken employment in standard academic jobs in the UK - more so for women than men.Gender; academic; economics; explanations;