Does a gender disparity exist in academic rank? Evidence from an Australian university

Authors

Arusha Cooray, University of WollongongFollow
Reetu Verma, University of WollongongFollow
Lynne Wright, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

89650

Publication Details

Cooray, A., Verma, R. & Wright, L. (2014). Does a gender disparity exist in academic rank? Evidence from an Australian university. Applied Economics, 46 (20), 2441-2451.

Abstract

Employing a unique administrative data set on academics from the University of Wollongong (UOW), we investigate if women are under-represented in academic rank, taking into account information on personal characteristics, job characteristics, education and productivity. The results suggest that males have a significant advantage in rank attainment. The possession of a PhD, the number of years of experience and the number of journal articles, books, book chapters, competitive grants and ERA A* ranked articles appear to be important for academic rank attainment. A Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition test indicates that both supply side and demand side factors play a role; however, there is greater support for the endowments argument. Interviews were conducted in an attempt to explain the results. Interviews showed that men were more career-driven compared to women.