Should I stay or should I go? Self- and external perceptions of the academic careers of female and male early-career researchers in a mathematical cluster of excellence

Abstract

Gender equality in mathematics in the German academic system has not been fully achieved. While the proportion of women and men is relatively balanced among first-year students, the number of female mathematicians decreases from one qualification/career level to the next (Destatis, 2024; GWK, 2024). This article aims to provide explanations for this so-called “leaky pipeline” in a specific environment: a mathematical cluster of excellence. First, it will provide insight on the perspectives of early-career researchers who work in research projects and/or the mathematical departments or research institutes associated with the cluster, examining their mathematics career paths and goals. Second, it will focus on the gendered external perceptions of researchers in leadership positions in research projects in the cluster who are responsible for their career development. The results are based on 20 semi-structured interviews with male and female PhD students and postdocs and 45 semi-structured interviews with those in leadership positions, whom we conceptualize as gatekeepers. By highlighting the tension between early-career researchers’ self-perceptions of their careers and the external attributions made by researchers in leadership positions regarding reasons for drop-out and retention it will be shown how external attributions, rather than individual preferences, sustain gender inequality in career trajectories.