Study finds ‘handicap’ for women academics

Even with equal qualifications, female researchers are less likely to be picked for top jobs

Italian women are between 5 and 15 per cent  less likely than their male colleagues to progress up the academic career ladder, a study has found.

The results of a research project published on 22 November in Studies in Higher Education showed that women with equal qualifications still find it harder than men to reach senior career levels. Mariana Filandri, a sociologist, and economist Silvia Pasqua, both based at the Universita di Torino, said in their paper that Italian academia is only just starting to address this gender handicap.