Gender analysis of barriers in academic promotion. A case study of an Argentine university

Abstract

Female participation in research staff of Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the highest worldwide. This contrasts with underrepresentation in the top positions. For this, in the present paper, by means of a survey and interviews to the staff academic of an Argentine university, the factors that condition the trajectories of the teaching and research staff are examined. Informal networks and cooptation systems are identified as the main obstacles in the academic trajectories of both sexes. However, from a gender perspective, together with the perception of social and family barriers, direct discrimination on the part of peers and superiors are concluded.