Slowest growth in number of female professors at Dutch universities in five years

The growth in the number of female professors in the Netherlands slowed in 2021 to its lowest point in five years, according to the National Network of Women Professors (LNVH). At the end of 2021, an average of 26.7 percent of professors at Dutch universities were women.

A year earlier, the average was 25.7 percent. At the time, it was predicted that half of professors would be women in 2040, but that forecast has now been adjusted to 2041.

The network presented the Female Professors Monitor 2022 on Thursday. At the top of the list is the Open University, just like in previous years. According to the LNVH, the Delft University of Technology remains the institution with relatively the fewest female professors. The proportion of women decreased in both places.

More than half of the people who graduate from a Dutch university are women, but the percentage gets lower when looking higher up the academic ladder. The LNVH wants at least a quarter of professors at all universities to be women by 2025, with an average of one-third. According to the network, nine of the 14 universities will not reach those percentages at this rate.

The LNVH is therefore concerned about the figures and asks universities to "renew their focus on retaining female scientific talent."