Has academia become more gender-fair for women? Findings from an adversarial analysis of gender bias

Pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has historically required women to confront significant gender bias within the world of academia. But it's important to update our perceptions of this gender bias so that women are not needlessly discouraged from pursuing these careers today, according to findings by Stephen J. Ceci (Cornell University), Shulamit Kahn (Boston University), and Wendy M. Williams (Cornell University), published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest.

Ceci, Khan, and Williams's analysis of hundreds of existing studies covering six aspects of academic life relevant to tenure-track professors suggests that the academy has indeed taken significant steps toward gender equality. Data from 2000 to 2020 indicate that women researchers are now equally likely as their male peers to be awarded grant funding, to have their journal articles accepted for publication, and to receive strong letters of recommendation. Moreover, they are more likely than men to be hired for tenure-track positions.

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