Women pushed out of academic work by sexism, harassment: study

In all stages of their careers, U.S. academic faculty who are women are more likely than their male counterparts to leave academia, according to new research from the University of Colorado Boulder in the journal Science Advances. In the most comprehensive retention analysis to date — analyzing 245,270 professors in 111 different academic fields — researchers found faculty men were more likely to leave a post to pursue attractive outside offers, while faculty women were more likely to be pushed out by sexism faced in both domestic and professional settings. Women were most likely to cite unequal parenting labor as their primary domestic reason for leaving academia. Lower salaries and sexual harassment were the most common professional reasons for leaving.  

“We were surprised to see the gender gap actually grow after faculty received tenure, given how important the title is,” said the study‘s lead author, Katie Spoon, in a release. “This result suggests that perhaps the field has neglected thinking about tenured women and their experiences.” Spoon said solutions “can start with asking faculty, particularly women, what needs to be done, listening, and taking specific, concrete steps to address their concerns.”

Spoon and her team found that, during their appointment as assistant professors, faculty women are 6% more likely than men to leave their jobs annually. Among full professors, that rate is higher — women are 19% more likely to leave academia than men. Though previous research suggested women are more likely to leave academia for better work-life balance, the new paper found men leave at about the same rate for this reason. Researchers hope the study will spur administrators nationwide to take action on the hostile working conditions faced by women in all fields.