Gender bias in academic recruitment

TL;DR

This study analyzes gender bias in Italian academic recruitment, revealing nuanced differences in bias effects and success factors for male and female candidates.

Contribution

It provides empirical evidence on gender bias dynamics in academic hiring, highlighting specific factors influencing success for different genders.

Findings

No gender difference among positively biased candidates.

Women are less represented among negatively biased candidates.

Success factors differ by gender, including university ties and family name.

Abstract

It is well known that women are underrepresented in the academic systems of many countries. Gender discrimination is one of the factors that could contribute to this phenomenon. This study considers a recent national academic recruitment campaign in Italy, examining whether women are subject to more or less bias than men. The findings show that no gender-related differences occur among the candidates who benefit from positive bias, while among those candidates affected by negative bias, the incidence of women is lower than that of men. Among the factors that determine success in a competition for an academic position, the number of the applicant's career years in the same university as the committee members assumes greater weight for male candidates than for females. Being of the same gender as the committee president is also a factor that assumes greater weight for male applicants. On the other hand, for female applicants, the presence of a full professor in the same university with the same family name as the candidate assumes greater weight than for male candidates.