Despite concerted efforts to ensure more gender equality in our workplaces, the evidence shows just how far we still have to go before it’s achieved.  New research from UNC Charlotte highlights the challenges still facing women in academia.

The study explored the diversity found in leadership roles across academia, and found that despite the grade point averages (GPAs) of men and women, men were far more likely to manage people than women were, with this gap particularly pronounced when people became parents.

Indeed, for those with a GPA of 4.0, fathers were four times as likely to manage than mothers.  What’s more, the link between a high GPA and managerial status is present for men far more than it is for women, for whom a high academic pedigree seems to make little noticeable difference.  Sadly, it seems that fathers with low academic achievements were more likely to be leaders than women with high academic achievements.

“Our research clearly illustrates the barriers that exist for women, especially mothers, in the workplace,” the researchers explain. “At the same time, given that even men with low grades go on to attain higher leadership roles than women, this study highlights perhaps the lack of barriers that men face in securing greater leadership opportunities.”

The greasy pole

This disparity exists in large part because it appears high-achieving fathers benefit from having a good degree, whereas the same cannot be said for mothers.  Indeed, the leadership opportunities for mothers with an advanced degree are no better than for those with no degree at all.

The researchers believe this is the case because men choose majors that may steer them towards leadership roles, such as STEM or finance.

“Based on other research, we know that even when men and women are in the same field, including female-dominated jobs, men still tend to have higher leadership prospects than women,” they continue. “This suggests that the disparity isn’t just due to men and women selecting different career paths. Rather, men benefit in terms of their leadership opportunities regardless of the path they choose.”

Leadership prospects

The analysis suggests that top achieving men had higher leadership prospects than women also, in part, because they would work longer hours and had accumulated more work experience than women, with this gap growing once people become parents.

As we’ve seen during the pandemic, women are far more likely to do the household duties, care for children or other members of the family, and therefore take time away from work to do these tasks, which ultimately harms their careers.

Despite this, however, there is still a disparity between high-achieving mothers and fathers that goes beyond this, which suggests that discrimination and bias are also a factor.

“It is likely that these general patterns hold for younger cohorts, as recent research indicates that progress on many key measures for workplace gender equality has stalled or slowed since the mid-1990s,” the researchers say. “Additionally, contemporary research in the field indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic is more negatively affecting women’s employment and productivity than men’s, in large part because mothers are absorbing more of the responsibilities associated with school and child care closures. This pattern could further exacerbate gender disparities in job experience and therefore future advancement opportunities in the workplace.”