The gender gap in the early progression of academic careers: evidence from Italy

Abstract

Purpose This paper contributes to the existing literature on the gender gap in academic career advancement by focusing on the very early stage of the academic career, i.e. the transition from Ph.D. completion to a tenured position. Design/methodology/approach Using Italian individual-level data, our econometric analyses estimate the likelihood of holding a tenured position conditional on a set of individual-level covariates. Findings Our findings support the idea that women have a lower probability of obtaining a tenured position. Results hold even when research productivity and experience are controlled for. Originality/value Our conclusions suggest that there is a significant gender gap in progression through an academic career.