Speakers at 50 of the most selective universities across six academic fields are more than twice as likely to be men than women, according to a study led by researchers at Houston-based Rice University.
The study examined colloquiums at the top 50 U.S. universities and colleges, as ranked by U.S. News and World Report in 2013–14. Researchers analyzed 3,652 talks given from six academic disciplines: biology; bioengineering; political science; history; psychology; and sociology. Then, they controlled for the speaker's gender and academic rank.
The study found male professors spoke at 69 percent of academic colloquiums, or gave 2,519 talks. That's compared to the 1,133 given by female professors.
"There are implications all over, but one of reasons we wanted to do this study is we're profoundly interested in the idea of gatekeepers — people who, by virtue of their positions, have the ability to keep members of certain groups from achieving their full potential," Michelle Hebl, PhD, the study's co-author, told Inside Higher Ed.
"They may do this unwittingly or not, but this is one of those situations where gatekeeper bias has some real consequences, since it's very important to give these colloquium talks. It's a really great way to build your network and showcases your research and your credibility."