Why women leave academia and why universities should be worried

Despite the high number of female undergraduate and PhD students, most higher positions in academia, namely professorships, are given to men. A recent study in the field of Chemistry aimed to enlighten the underlying reasons [1]. 

First, it is important to look at the pool of applicants from which universities recruit their top staff. In a prior study, PhD students were asked about their career plans at different stages of their PhD [2]. At the beginning, obviously, both men and women are enthusiastic about pursuing a career as researcher, both in academia and industry: This intention is expressed by 61 % or 72 % of first-year male and female PhD students, respectively. However, in the third year of their PhD, women changed their mind dramatically. Whereas 59 % of men still see research as a career option, only 37 % of women do so.
If one separates between a career intention in industry and in academia, only 12 % of women and 21 % of men see their future in academia. In other words, 88 % of female PhD students and 79 % of their male fellows don't want a career in academia. Curt Rice describes this as an alarming result for universities, as they may no longer be capable of attracting the best and the brightest minds [3].
Both genders, but especially women, regarded an academic career as all-consuming and competitive. First of all, the short-term nature of most post-doctoral positions implies frequent relocation and a lack of security about future employment. The level of competitiveness to achieve a permanent position is seen as very fierce and the impression of young scientists is that it has become harder to get a first foothold on the ladder, especially under the circumstance of a constant hunt for funding [1].

female PhD students feel more affected

 

However, there are several issues that affect only women keeping them away from academic careers: There is a lack of positive examples, as most women feel that female professors often show a quite masculine behavior and are, in many cases, childless. They do not want to sacrifice their personality and their plans for a family, to an academic career. Whereas both male and female PhD students report poor supervision, frustrating experiences in the research process, and problems within the research group, women feel more affected and restricted by this and are more likely to see this as a personal failure. A relevant number of women also report that they were told that their gender might be a problem for a future academic career [1].
Although these studies were focused on Chemistry, it seems to be likely that it is not much different in other subjects. Obviously, the pool from which universities can recruit their lecturers and professors shrinks, and especially women are not attracted by an academic career. Universities should ask themselves if the working conditions and career paths they offer are suitable to encourage talented young researchers staying in academia. Without young and innovative researchers, cutting-edge research at universities is endangered. But considering recent headlines about the German Max-Planck-Society and its plans to cut PhD students from social security system [4], a fundamental rethink has not yet begun.

By Odilo Engel, PhD Alumnus Medical Neurosciences, AG Clinical Neuroscience
This article originally appeared 2012 in CNS Volume 5, Issue 4, Fat Gut or Fat Brain

References
[1] Jessica Lober Newsome: The chemistry PhD: the impact on women's retention - A report for the UK Resource Centre for Women in SET and the Royal Society of Chemistry. London, 2008. http://bit.ly/JC2T5m
[2] The Career Intentions & First Employment Destinations of Chemistry PhD Students: A Gender-Based Quantitative Analysis, Royal Society of Chemistry: London, 2008.
[3] Curt Rice: Why women leave academia and why universities should be worried. The Guardian - Higher Education Network, May 24, 2012. http://bit.ly/MTWaB9
[4] Sven Grünewald: Forschungsstipendien - Schwarzarbeit in der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft? Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, June 10, 2012. http://bit.ly/Lrvd7A