More female professors at Dutch universities; Still over 75% male

The Universities in the Netherlands employed more female professors last year, but the vast majority of professors are still men, according to figures from the National Network of Women Professors. At this pace, "it will take until 2041 before a proportional male-female distribution will be achieved among professors," the Network said on Wednesday.

At the end of last year, the 14 Dutch universities employed 810 female professors and 2,637 male professors. That amounts to 23.5 percent of professors being women. In 2018, there were 741 female and 2,601 male professors, so women made up 22.2 percent of the total. In 2019, the Dutch universities appointed 69 women and 36 men as professors.

The Open University is in the lead when it comes to gender equality among professors, with 39.9 percent women professors last year. Maastricht University is in second place with 30.1 percent women professors, and then Radboud University Nijmegen with 29.6 percent. 

At the bottom of the list are TU Delft with 16.9 percent of its professors being women, followed by Eindhoven University of Technology at 18.3 percent and Wageningen University at 18.5 percent.

In 2018, Erasmus University Rotterdam was a the bottom of the list with only 14.5 percent of its professors being women. Last year the university increased that to 20.8 percent.

The National Network of Women Professors aims to have at least 33 percent female professors at the Dutch universities by 2025. To achieve that it is also important to look at associate professors and lecturers, who may be appointed as professors in the future. "An inclusive working environment and sound career policy are needed" to encourage women to take higher education positions, the Network said.

Minister Ingrid van Engelshoven of Education, Culture and Science told ANP in response that it is good the percentage of women professors is increasing. "Now it is especially important to maintain that growth, and preferably to accelerate it further. Because let us be clear: we are not there yet."