Change and Persistence of Gender Disparities in Academic Careers of Mathematicians and Physicists in Germany
Keywords:
academic career, gender disparities, mathematics, physics, German higher education system, career knowledgeAbstract
This article discusses whether or not gender-related disparities exist within the academic fields of mathematics and physics regarding the application of career knowledge and the experiences of disadvantage in relation to recognition of performance, assessment of professional competencies, and integration into networks. To answer this question, primary data was collected with a structured online survey addressing graduates in both academic fields (n=5,174). The article considers a subsample of respondents working at a university or university of applied sciences (n=1,613). Apart from the gender perspective, other factors potentially influencing the academic careers of mathematicians and physicists, such as being in a certain subject, age cohort or having children, are also considered. Some of the key findings are: a) more gender differences occur in mathematics than in physics; b) the experiences of disadvantage in the workplace constitute a cross-disciplinary phenomenon caused by the gender differentiating academic culture; and c) more female than male academics in both disciplines accept constraints or abandon career goals due to child care.Downloads
Published
23-04-2018
Issue
Section
Special Issue: Gender and Masculinities in Careers and Leadership in Higher Education
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
How to Cite
Change and Persistence of Gender Disparities in Academic Careers of Mathematicians and Physicists in Germany. (2018). International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 10(1), 147-170. https://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/article/view/475