Dancers in the Dark: Scientific Careers According to a Gender-Blind Model of Promotion

Abstract

The disparity between men and women in science is a hot topic in gender studies and a relevant target of scientific policies. The leaky pipeline metaphor illustrates the decreasing number of women along senior positions in academia; however many questions remain unanswered. What factors progressively diminish the number of women in scientific careers and why do they appear to be less successful than their male colleagues? In order to discover new insight, this work compares men’s and women’s career paths by taking into account academic and family milestones achieved throughout the life course. An innovative and interdisciplinary methodology (from bibliometrics, statistics, and sociology) has been constructed to examine men’s and women’s trajectories. Findings display gender differences in scientists’ trajectories. The evolution of scientists’ careers reveals linear careers for males, whilst women develop non-linear careers. Motherhood emerges as a problem for developing linear careers. And collegiate decisions of gatekeepers seem to systematically disfavour women scientists’ careers.

Keywords:

• life course approach
• linear and non-linear careers
• professional and family milestones
• professional achievements
• collegiate decisions
• career paths

Acknowledgement

This research project was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation FEM2013–48225-C3–1-R. We would like to thank the suggestions of an anonymous referee.

Notes

1. Demographic indicators http://www.ine.es/daco/daco42/sociales11/sociales.htm, 2011.

2. Full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers, where an FTE of 1.0 means that the person is equivalent to a full-time worker, while an FTE of 0.5 signals that the worker is only half-time. Data from 2010 are from http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/stfls/MICINN/Investigacion/FICHEROS/Estadisticas_Indicadores/Indicadores_2012.pdf.