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International Women’s Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the gender disparities in university leadership. This article, presenting the latest data and trends in female leadership in EUA member universities in 48 countries*, is part of EUA’s contribution to this important debate.
The proportion of female rectors has increased by 73% over the past eight years according to EUA data. But despite this significant gain, women are still strongly outnumbered by men as university leaders, accounting for less than a fifth in all EUA member universities in 2022.
Nevertheless the situation varies across the continent. In some countries more than 30% of rectors are women, but in others there are currently no female rectors at all among EUA members, although the number of countries where this is the case has been decreasing year on year.
Similarly, there is a trend for more women being appointed as vice-rectors, with the proportion increasing by 24% between 2014 and 2022 according to EUA data. However, they still only represent less than a third of the total in all EUA member universities.
Again, this situation varies across countries. Whereas female vice-rectors are either the majority or have reached parity in ten countries, in others there are none. However, as with female rectors, the number of countries with no women as vice-rectors has steadily decreased in recent years.
When it comes to the numbers of women in senior management, the picture is more balanced. EUA data shows that women currently hold nearly 60% of such positions, however the proportion varies according to the types of department – while women account for 45% of heads of research, they represent over 65% of heads of international offices.
The EUA data reveals that the proportion of women in university leadership positions differs by role. As women move up the career ladder, they become progressively outnumbered by men. The two main bottlenecks for women seem to be achieving full professorship – which in many countries is seen as a prerequisite for top-level positions such as rectors or vice-rectors – and institutional mindsets that resist change.
Despite the progress of the past eight years, it is clear that there is still plenty to be done at the institutional, national and European levels if women are to take their place as equals in the ranks of university leadership.
* The data refers solely to the EUA member universities and is not based on all categories of EUA members.
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In the run up to the European University Association’s first pan-European Learning and Teaching Forum in Paris 28-29 September, we speak to Professor Jean Chambaz, a European University Association ...
The European Commission’s Erasmus+ mid-term review must consider how to harness the potential of the scheme in addressing Europe’s shifting realities. Providing grants to refugee students and acad ...
As EUA launches the call for participation for its pilot Leadership Development Programme, President Josep M. Garrell presents the initiative and encourages leaders from EUA member universities to app ...
Today, higher education institutions are tasked with multiple and challenging roles. They accommodate evolving student expectations, address changing labour market needs and sustainability pressures, ...
The 2022 EUA Annual Conference took place on 28-29 April in Budapest, Hungary. The conference provided a platform to discuss which values shape the missions and strategic objectives of Europe’s univ ...
EUA is currently piloting a Leadership Development Programme for senior leaders in European higher education institutions. ...
The Inspireurope+ project works to coordinate and strengthen support in Europe for researchers at risk. It runs from September 2022 to August 2025, building on the work undertaken by the previous Insp ...
As part of the EU’s response to the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine, MSCA4Ukraine provides support to displaced researchers from Ukraine. ...
Today, higher education institutions are tasked with multiple and challenging roles. ...
The LOTUS project aims to contribute to capacity building and strategic change management for learning and teaching at higher education institutions across Europe. ...
EUA has developed its vision for Europe’s universities in 2030. After intensive consultations with more than 100 experts and visionaries from the EUA membership and a wide range of external partners ...
UNI(di)VERSITY builds upon the results of the inHERE project focused on supporting EU HEIs’ efforts to welcome refugee students and staff. The project broadens the scope of intervention in two ways: ...
InSPIREurope is a Europe-wide initiative to support researchers who are at risk due to discrimination, persecution, suffering or violence. Funded under the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Cu ...
The INVITED project aimed to support universities in developing and strategies towards equity, diversity and inclusion. ...
The EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups gather a selected group of EUA member universities each year to discuss and explore practices and lessons learnt in organising and implementing lea ...
Throughout Europe, higher education institutions are supporting refugees, as showcased by EUA’s Refugees Welcome Map. Data collected in this inventory of initiatives has been the basis for inHERE: H ...
The EFFECT project aimed to facilitate the exchange of experience and effective methods in terms of university teachers’ development at the European level. ...
USTREAM sought to examine the measures that are in place in universities across Europe to enhance efficiency at operational level, and also analyse policies at system level that support universities i ...
An inventory of higher education supporting refugees. ...
Leading a university has never been more demanding. University leaders must juggle multiple roles, balancing the needs and expectations of a diverse array of stakeholders. They are accountable for a w ...
Europe is an important safe haven for academics and students with an at-risk background. Providing them with support and enabling them to continue their careers is an integral part of European univers ...
Equity, diversity and inclusion and belonging (EDIB) are important priorities for universities and are also reflected in their broader contribution to society. At many institutions, EDIB has become f ...
The European Research Area (ERA) reflects the European Commission and EU member states’ ambition to create a single, borderless market for research, innovation and technology across the EU. It was f ...
In parallel to well-established European collaboration in higher education within the Bologna Process and the European Higher Education Area, the European Union is working towards creating a Euro ...
To shape the future that universities want, we must proactively engage with possible futures. The world is changing rapidly. And with it, universities and their contexts are changing. Among the major ...
The missions and work of universities in Europe and elsewhere are underpinned by a number of fundamental values. EUA as an Association strongly believes in and works towards upholding these. The Asso ...
Universities must drive developments in learning and teaching. This requires close collaboration with all major stakeholder groups, including national and European policy makers. In recent decades, n ...
The Bologna Process is an intergovernmental higher education reform process launched in 1999 that includes 48 European countries and a number of European organisations, including EUA. It is dedicated ...
The call for participation in the European University Association’s pilot Leadership Development Programme is now closed. Applicants will be informed about the results by December 2024 at the latest ...