Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

GenderLatest NewsDiscriminationGender pay gapSex discrimination

Female academics ‘discriminated against’ by universities, research claims

by Ashleigh Webber 6 Jun 2019
by Ashleigh Webber 6 Jun 2019 Image: Shutterstock
Image: Shutterstock

Female academics at top universities do not progress as quickly, or to the same levels, as men with the same qualifications and experience, research has suggested.

The Cardiff University-led study found that women are under-represented in senior academic grades, and if the current trend continues it will be “decades” before this gap is closed.

Universities

Academic staff suffer ‘epidemic’ of poor mental health

Academics forced to sign NDAs to cover up bullying and harassment allegations

This is the case even after parenthood is accounted for, but researchers said female academics were still effectively being forced to choose between their career aspirations and having children.

Women were less likely to progress into senior roles than men even after age, academic degrees, number of publications and main area of research were accounted for, among other factors.

The researchers indicated that one explanation for this may be “discrimination against women”.

“We call this the gender effect. Put simply, two people who have similar, or even identical credentials and personal circumstances except for one being a man and the other being a woman, are likely to have different academic ranks, with the man having a higher rank than the woman,” the Gender and Academic Rank in the UK research concludes.

The analysis of data gathered from 2,270 academics at 24 Russell Group universities also found that women were given more teaching responsibilities than men, which also had an impact on career progression because many institutions held roles that are primarily research-based in higher esteem. There was also a correlation between the amount of teaching responsibilities and lower salary.

The researchers recommended that universities ensure that promotions are given on the basis of a clear and transparent criteria, and that workload models are in place to allow fair and equitable distribution of teaching and administrative responsibilities.

“The decisive factor for promotion is research, i.e., if a candidate’s research is deemed inadequate, no amount of teaching or administration will compensate for this. If this is the path that the Russell Group Universities want to stick to then this should be made crystal clear and no claims of the possibility of promotion on the basis of teaching (or administration) excellence should be made,” the research paper, published in the Journal of Sustainability, says.

Jess Cole, director of policy at the Russell Group, said: “This important work from Cardiff University reminds us that academia continues to suffer the gender gap we see in many professions and organisations.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“Russell Group universities take this issue very seriously and the researchers point to the policies that are in place to help staff balance work and home, such as flexible working and subsidised childcare, which run alongside initiatives to support women’s career progression, including mentoring and leadership schemes. Our members continue to develop these practices and programmes around the needs of their staff.”

Education sector HR roles on Personnel Today

Browse more HR jobs in education

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
Mayfair club kitchen porters call for the Living Wage
next post
Diversity on the wane among NHS leaders

You may also like

Redefining leadership: From competence to inclusion

21 May 2025

Consultation launched after Supreme Court ‘sex’ ruling

20 May 2025

RCN warns Darlington NHS trust over single-sex spaces

16 May 2025

EHRC bows to pressure and extends gender consultation

15 May 2025

Culture, ‘micro-incivilities’ and invisible talent

14 May 2025

‘Unacceptable to question integrity’ of Supreme Court judgment

2 May 2025

Tackling suspect gender pay gap data

30 Apr 2025

Trans ex-judge to appeal Supreme Court biological sex...

29 Apr 2025

EHRC: Interim update on single-sex spaces draws criticism

28 Apr 2025

Opposition to Supreme Court sex ruling is ‘wishful...

22 Apr 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+