More female Professors in 2025, but gender equality goal unlikely
The percentage of female professors at Dutch universities increased last year but remains insufficient to meet the national target for 2025, according to the annual monitor released by the Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH). As of this year, women make up 28.7 percent of all professors, a 1.1 percentage point rise compared to the previous year.
“Eight universities are lagging behind their targets,” the report states. However, four institutions—Erasmus University Rotterdam, Tilburg University, the Open University, and the University of Amsterdam—have already met their individual 2025 benchmarks.
Despite the growth, the LNVH warns that the higher education sector is unlikely to reach its goal of 31.2 percent female professors by 2025 at the current rate.
The annual monitor reveals significant disparities in gender representation across institutions. The Open University leads with more than 40 percent female professors, followed by Maastricht University with 36 percent. Most universities hover around the 30 percent mark, with Erasmus University at the lower end. Delft University of Technology ranks last among general universities.
The LNVH notes that the increase in female professors is accelerating compared to previous years, which saw less than 1 percent annual growth. However, even with this slight improvement, the report estimates it could take another two decades before gender parity is achieved at the professorial level.
The LNVH expressed concerns about the potential impact of a 1 billion euro budget cut to higher education and research, which it says could disproportionately affect female academics. “Dark clouds are gathering over the sector,” the network stated. “Cuts of this magnitude will put diversity, inclusion, and gender equality under further pressure.”
The organization also highlighted that women are more likely to hold precarious positions, such as temporary contracts, making them especially vulnerable to the proposed reductions.
One positive development is the near-equal representation of women in university governance. The monitor shows that 48.4 percent of university board members are now women, a jump of nearly five percentage points in the past year.
Despite this progress in leadership roles, Caspar van den Berg, chairman of the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (UNL), emphasized the ongoing challenges. “The monitor shows we still have a long way to go to achieve equal representation in academia,” van den Berg said. Nevertheless, he called it “encouraging” that there are enough women in the academic pipeline to fill professorial positions as male professors retire.
The LNVH also examined gender representation in academic medical centers. Women hold 31.6 percent of professor roles at these institutions, with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam leading at 39.3 percent and Erasmus University Rotterdam trailing at 27.8 percent.
