Does excellence have a gender?

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to show that upward mobility of female academics in regular selection procedures is evolving extremely slowly, especially in The Netherlands. This paper aims at a more profound understanding of professorial recruitment and selection procedures in relation to gender differences at Dutch universities.Design/methodology/approachThis paper explores the recruitment of university professors as a gendered process and is mainly based on the analysis of selection committee reports between 1999‐2003 from six large Dutch universities (n=682).FindingsThe research findings give a clear indication of gender differences in selection and recruitment procedures. Although not in all disciplines, the paper observes a disparity in the percentages of male and female applicants who were successful in the selection procedure. There is no confirmation of the predicted relationship with the nature of the procedure (open/closed), but there is a correlation with the number of women on the committee.Research limitations/implicationsAs it was not possible to make any pronouncements about the quality of the applicants, a strict measurement of gender bias is not possible.Practical implicationsThe results show that academic disciplines are gendered in a different way, requiring different measures at the institutional and individual levels.Originality/valueThis is the first paper on recruitment and selection procedures that takes into account disciplinary differences and factors such as the number of applicants for each professorship and the recruitment potential by gender.

Bibliometrics in Academic Recruitment: A Screening Tool Rather than a Game Changer

“…Applicants are also able to complain about the expert committees' evaluation and candidate ranking. This transparency incentivizes evaluators to write consistent accounts and suggest that the reports may be rationalized without less legitimate evaluation criteria such as preferring a candidate based on their gender, ethnicity, or personal acquaintanceship, which has been documented to be influential by prior studies (Van den Brink et al 2006;Tavares et al 2019). This paper will neither confirm nor deny such effects.…”

Gender and the evaluation of research

“…Assessing new knowledge derived via research is controversial, and how that evaluation occurs may have important impacts. Gender equality is also a pressing policy issue in higher education (Jacobs and Winslow, 2004;London et al, 2012;Long et al, 1993;Mayer and Tikka, 2008;Miller et al, 2005;Rama et al, 1997;Van Den Brink et al, 2006;Wolfinger et al, 2009), especially since legislation requires the public sector to promote equality rather than simply prevent discrimination. 1 There has been a shift internationally toward more ratings-based methods to measure the quality and impact of research, alongside other methods such as research assessment exercises (Butler, 2007;Coupé et al, 2010;Donovan, 2007;Moed, 2007).…”

Gender differences in scientific productivity: a persisting phenomenon?

“…Research on professorial appointments shows there are gender differences in the selection and recruitment procedures. A clear disparity was found in the success rates of male and female applicants to the disadvantage of females (Van den Brink et al 2006). This implies that career decisions are characterized by gendered social closure (Van den Brink 2009).…”