Slight increase in percentage of female professors in Leiden
The proportion of professors at Leiden University who are female has risen slightly to 32.0%. These are the results of the Women Professors Monitor 2024 released by the Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH). This puts Leiden University above the national average of 28.7%.
Leiden University is one of seven Dutch universities that have passed the 30% mark for female professors. Leiden is in the top three, below the Open University (42.6%) and Maastricht University (36.1%). For the Netherlands as a whole, the proportion of female professors has increased by 1.1 percentage point, which is a ‘very modest increase’, according to the monitor.
Job categories
The monitor shows once again that the number of women decreases the higher up in the university you go. However, there has been a slight increase in the total proportion of women across all categories, from students to professors. Nationally, just over half of students (51.7%) and graduates (54.6%) are female, as are 45.7% of PhD candidates. There is then a slight increase to 46.9% of assistant professors but after that, the numbers drop significantly with 35.4% of associate professors being female and only 28.7% of professors.
Targets
Leiden University aims to have 35% of its professorships to be held by women by 2025. Other universities have also set targets. The monitor shows that eight of the 14 universities, including Leiden University, will not achieve their targets at the current rate, nor will they achieve the joint target of 31.2% by 2025.
It’s good to see we are in the top three but that does not mean we can rest on our laurels’, says Rector Hester Bijl. ‘We still have a long way to go to achieve equal representation in this role. We will stay commited to this.’
Sufficient female replacements
It is now up to the universities, says the monitor. Many male professors in the higher age groups are expected to retire, which presents opportunities to fast-track women to such roles.
‘It is encouraging that there is plenty of potential among female academics to replace the mainly male professors who are expected to retire, and that more women are being appointed to executive board roles’, says Caspar van den Berg, President of the Universities of the Netherlands (UNL). ‘But the monitor shows we still have a long way to go to achieve equal representation in academia.’
Banner photo: Lunch for female professors at Leiden University, December 2024.