Towards Gender Equity in Academia: Strategies and Tools for Universities

Abstract

Gender inequality in academia persists through the interaction of implicit bias and structural barriers. We combine a gender–career Implicit Association Test (IAT) and survey responses from 863 academic and administrative staff across four European universities with document analysis of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) and 12 semi-structured interviews. The IAT shows an implicit association of men with careers and women with family roles (mean D-score +0.38). Women report more gender-based discrimination and perceived male advantage in permanent contracts, desirable tasks, leadership roles, and informal networks. Regression results indicate that being a woman and endorsing traditional work–family values are robust correlates of higher IAT scores. Across institutions, GEPs commonly include mentoring, leadership development, gender-sensitive recruitment and promotion procedures, monitoring, and, in some cases, targets; effectiveness depends on visible leadership commitment, clear indicators and review cycles, adequate resources, and broad participation. We argue that progress requires pairing training and mentoring with procedural reforms at key career junctures (recruitment, promotion, workload allocation, and leadership selection). Limits include cross-sectional data and the behavioural scope of the IAT.