Vitae, the umbrella organisation that considers the professional development of academic researchers in the UK, hosts an annual conference each year it attracts over a thousand delegates, well in a normal year, at least. While across academic disciplines male professors outnumber their female counterparts nearly three to one[i]. The professors that have presented at this event (n=55) were majority female (55%). What is more striking was considering all presenters (n=600), where 70% were female[ii], with the same proportions for those using Dr. as their salutation, this markedly differs from academia as a whole where differences in subject area balance out to a near fifty-fifty split in gender. It seems that the people who have dedicated their careers to supporting the development of researchers, or at least have a keen interest in researcher development are more likely to be female. This is no bad thing in itself but the role comes with less recognition than the academic researchers they are there to support. The majority of those professors presenting have achieved that position in another field and have taken a sideways step to consider the development of colleagues. If working in researcher development or at least being interested in the development of others is not adequately rewarded or considered a key aspect of an academics role then research will ultimately suffer.
Data from Universities in the Netherlands[iii] corroborates HESA data indicating female academics are more likely to have greater teaching responsibilities than their male counterparts, who are engaging more in research activities, I’m doubtful other parts of the world trend differently. It quite clearly isn’t an inability of women to conduct great research but a system that allows more structure and a marginally better work life balance in teaching roles. The freedom for men to work 12 hour days when the job requires is there in society and although most wouldn’t want a work-life balance so skewed, some will take it to make strides at an early point in their career. They can do this in the knowledge that in the future they can tell their PhD students and post-docs this is the way it has to be if they want to progress. The dichotomy between teaching and research does not help this situation. Giving more academics a broader role may help to promote a better transfer of the cutting edge of research to our undergraduate and master’s students but it would also ground the research focussed staff in the structure of the University and broaden the opportunities for a contribution to research.
Amongst PhD students the difference between the typical attitudes of men and women to their own development is palpable. At a recent Public Engagement competition (Three Minute Thesis) the female students out-numbered the male competitors fifteen to one. Had the numbers been reversed and a list of eight men was presented as the finalists it would have likely caused some significant consternation, it certainly would have been dropped as a data-point from any Athena Swan application. The prevalence of women in this competition is however symptomatic of the larger issue. Women do care that their research makes a broader impact, than the impact factor of the journal the work is published in. They are doing the research to make a difference in a world they care about. Their goals are less individually focussed and are more for the broader benefits the work could bring. Working hard to be a success in disseminating research findings more broadly is a ‘nice to have’ in any fellowship or tenure application. Until there is much greater recognition of the overall benefits research brings then we will struggle to see men taking the time to think about the depth of their personal development. Nor will we see women recognised for what they do to disseminate their work, progress their own development or consider the development of the researchers that work with them.
The problem lies in the short term objectives in academic research. Academics who are able to dedicate a significant proportion of their time to generating data, publishing papers and writing grant applications are routinely rewarded. Whilst all of these activities are critical aspects of research success they only take an incidental attitude toward the development of the research students and research staff who are being mentored by that academic. And so perpetuates a selfishness in the academic world. Collaboration and collegiate activity do occur but these symbiotic relationships tend to be ephemeral because ultimately the rewards are given to individuals. With societal structures as they are and the timing of significant moves in academic careers coinciding with a time when starting a family is likely, women are significantly disadvantaged by this system.
Current University fellowships make no formal account of the contribution a researcher has made to the supporting undergraduate, masters or PhD students. There is little consideration of whether this candidate will continue to help others develop. The bottom-line of prestigious publications and grant income far outweigh those longer term goals that may see a paradigm shift to a much broader pool of contributors to research.
[i] https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/23-01-2020/sb256-higher-education-staff-statistics
[ii] https://www.vitae.ac.uk/events/event-presenters
[iii] https://www.erasmusmagazine.nl/en/2019/03/12/female-academics-teach-more-lectures-and-conduct-less-research/