Male postgrads feel disadvantaged, survey finds

More male than female doctoral students in Europe feel disadvantaged in academia because of their gender, a survey of the conditions of PhD candidates has found.

In every one of the 12 countries surveyed by the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc), a significantly higher number of male than female respondents said their gender placed them at a disadvantage. In Finland, for example, 78 per cent of male respondents said their sex was “very much” a disadvantage, compared to 37 per cent of women. In Scandinavia, Portugal and Belgium, more women than men said they received funding for their PhDs.