PhD candidates flag gender imbalance in power abuse cases

Study highlights “unconscious bias” as women are more likely to be accused of abusing influence

PhDnet, an organisation for doctoral candidates overseen by the Max Planck Society, has found that women in academic leadership positions are more likely to be accused of abusing power than their male counterparts.

PhDnet published an analysis of gender imbalance among victims and alleged perpetrators in cases where a potential abuse of power was investigated at the society. The analysis was conducted after 145 female scientists wrote an open letter in which they protested to the Max Planck Society about how it had handled allegations of abuses of power made against female directors of its institutes.