In search of the glass ceiling: What mechanisms and barriers hinder qualified women from progressing in academia?

Abstract

Despite women's achievements in higher education - more than 50% of university graduates in Germany are female - the proportion of women in top positions in science is still relatively low and 'gets more pronounced on the higher rungs of the academic career ladder' (Gottschall 2010: 256). Although the number of women who are appointed to a professorship has been increasing since 1990, the proportion of female professors was only 19% in 2010 (Statistisches Bundesamt 2012: 26) and the proportion of women in C4/W3 professorships (15%) is still lower (ibid).