At 27.8 percent, the number of female professors at the UG has remained almost the same over the past year, according to the Women Professors Monitor 2023. It is uncertain whether the university will achieve its target of 33 percent by 2025.
The number of female professors in Groningen increased by 0.2 percent between the end of 2021 and the end of 2022. Nationally, the increase was 0.9 percent. According to the annual report released by the Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH), this is the lowest percentage in eight years.
Last year, the LNVH sounded the alarm when the growth stagnated for the first time. This year, the organisation expressed its concern again. ‘Based on the growth rate of the past two years, it will take until 2045 before we’ll see an equal distribution between male and female professors’, writes the organisation.
Ambition
Compared to last year, the UG dropped two positions, from seventh to ninth place out of the fourteen universities in the country. Despite the UG’s ambition to have 33 percent of its professors be female by 2025, the monitor questions whether this goal will be achieved. If the UG continues at the same pace as last year, it will only reach 28.6 percent.
Notably, the UG does have the highest number of female associate professors (60.2 percent) out of all universities.
Outflow of men
The LNVH sees some positive points. For instance, the anticipated outflow of men over the age of 60 has increased this year. ‘It seems that the (long-awaited) exit of this group has commenced’, notes the network.
Additionally, the number of female associate professors is still increasing significantly. According to the LNVH, this contributes to a ‘well-stocked talent pool’. Without distinguishing between scientific fields, 97.4 percent of the outflow of professors can be replaced by women, according to the monitor.
‘This, alongside the anticipated outflow of male professors, offers tremendous prospects for the future’, writes the LNVH. ‘However, it is up to the institutions to act upon this and ensure that the working culture focuses on attracting and retaining female talent.’