Women outnumbered in academia

Though male professors outnumber female professors by around five to one, new figures suggest that the number of females in academia are on the rise.

The number of female professors rose to a record high last year, according to research from the Higher Education Statistics Authority (HESA).

However, males professors still vastly outnumber their female counterparts: the percentage of female professors only increased from 16.7% to 17.5%. This equates to 2885 women compared to 13600 men.

The figures also revealed that 36.8% of senior lecturers and researchers were women, and the proportion of female academic staff overall has increased over the same period, from 41.9% in 2005/06 to 42.3% in 2006/07.

The University and College Union said institutions must act to ensure equality of opportunity to ensure women face fewer obstacles in reaching the top of academia.

General secretary, Sally Hunt, said:

“As head of an organisation with women in its two most senior positions, I am pleased to see the rest of the higher education sector is slowly starting to catch up.

"There is no reason why more women should not be in the top jobs in our universities and being properly paid for their work. Fair, open and transparent recruitment and promotion procedures are in everyone's interests, not just women.”