Women now make up nearly 30 percent of professors in the Netherlands

The proportion of female professors in the Netherlands rose once more last year, the Dutch Network of Female Professors (LNVH) reports in its annual monitor. Women now account for 29.9 percent of all university professors, up 1.2 percentage points from the previous year, bringing them close to the 31.2 percent target set five years ago.

The network calls reaching the target are “a milestone worth noting.” However, it cautions against the misconception that reaching 30 percent will automatically lead to full equality. Budget cuts and anti-gender movements could also hinder progress, with a completely balanced gender distribution projected for 2043.

New targets for 2030 have been established by universities. They plan to reach an average of 36.9 percent female professors within five years, although nine universities are still falling short of their 2025 targets. The Open University, Maastricht University, Leiden University, and the University of Amsterdam (UvA) have already achieved their 2025 targets. The Open University is at the forefront, with 42.6 percent of its professors being women.

The Netherlands ranks around the middle among European countries. Norway and Sweden, for example, have over 35 percent female professors, whereas several southern European nations remain under 20 percent.

Women’s representation decreases significantly at each stage of the academic career path. The move from assistant professor (47.6%) to associate professor (36.6%), and then to full professor (29.9%), continues to be a key challenge. Experts say that several factors are responsible for the relatively slow progress toward gender equality, including institutional obstacles, varying career trajectories, and social expectations about leadership and family duties.

Women in most academic roles have permanent contracts at the same rate or higher than men, yet female full professors are still somewhat more likely than their male counterparts to be on temporary contracts. There is a visible departure of male professors aged 60 and older. With the replacement potential of female associate professors at 108.1 percent, there are exceptional opportunities to speed up gender parity.