Research universities attain gender parity in top leadership

Women today lead half of the Netherlands’ 14 senior research universities, the first time this has happened, according to a Dutch news report published as the country starts its new academic year.

Dutch News recently reported that Nijmegen’s Radboud University appointed José Sanders, professor of communication, as its first rector magnificus, equivalent to chancellor last year, while Wageningen University has been led by climate scientist Carolien Kroeze since March this year (2024).

The other senior research universities – a category recognised by the government – that are led by women are Erasmus University Rotterdam, Eindhoven University of Technology, Maastricht University, University of Groningen, and Leiden University.

“Dutch universities have been pursuing an active diversity policy for several years, with the aim of achieving more female academics, leaders and professionals at the top of the organisation,” Ruben Puylaert, spokesperson for Universities of the Netherlands (UNL), which represents these senior research universities, told University World News.

He described as a “milestone” the fact that half of the association’s university leaders are now women, while the percentage of women among deans (active executives, such as vice-chancellors) was higher at the end of last year than at the end of 2022, increasing from 29.7% to 34.1%.

Women professors

However, there is “still much to improve [in respect of] gender equality at our universities”, Puylaert said. “The percentage of women professors working at Dutch universities was only 27.6% in 2023, so there is still work to do.

“It is certainly possible to improve this and due to the significant rise in the percentage of associate professors, there is a lot of female talent ready to be promoted,” he said.

With the number of women starting scientific careers higher than 50%, Puylaert said it was “vital that the flow of female talent into senior scientific positions also improves”.

At the level of students, there have been more women than men in higher education for 23 consecutive years.

In the 2021-2022 academic year, there were 443,000 female students compared to 393,000 males in research universities and the 41 accredited universities of applied sciences, Statistics Netherlands (CBS – Centraal Bureau voor Statistiek) announced in March 2023.

The highest shares of female students were in health care, education and journalism.

In September 2020, the national action plan for greater diversity and inclusion in higher education and research, drafted by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, set five goals for higher education and research for 2025, including an award system and new targets for 2025.

“Universities have had targets for the percentage of female professors for several years now and each year the Dutch Network of Women Professors [LNVH – Landelijk Network Vrouwelijke Hoogleraren] publishes a monitor with the latest figures,” Puylaert said.

“This helps us as universities take a good look at where we can still improve in gender equality,” he added.

The LNVH Women Professors Monitor 2023 noted that with only 1% growth between 2022 and 2023, the annual growth of Dutch female professors is the lowest in eight years – a situation it described as “alarming”.

Just five of the senior research universities – the Open University, Maastricht, Leiden, Radboud University Nijmegen and Utrecht – have more than 30% of women professors, two more than for 2022.

Technical universities within this elite group have the lowest proportion of female staff, with TU Delft remaining at the bottom – only increasing 0.4%, from 17.7% to 18.1%, from the end of 2021 to the end of 2022.

Female role models

One university that has made significant efforts to boost female numbers is Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), however. Its Irène Curie Programme, launched in 2019 and adapted in 2021 to cover only departments where fewer than 30% were female, mandated only female applicants for new posts for six months after being advertised.

“We launched the programme because previous measures to improve the gender balance had too little effect,” TU/e president Robert-Jan Smits told University World News.

Reacting to the news that half the Netherlands’ universities are led by women, he said: “I am really happy that we have achieved parity on leadership roles in Dutch universities. I am convinced that this will help accelerate the improvement of the gender balance at our universities and in society.

“It confirms what we have seen at TU/e since introducing the Irène Curie Programme. If you search actively for female candidates, you will succeed in finding women who are excellent candidates.

“Our recent five-year evaluation of the programme shows that our percentage of females [lecturers] has gone from 22 to 30%. So, we are continuing this policy, and we hope that
it inspires others.”

He told University World News what helped the programme succeed is that in Dutch academia “there is a widespread awareness that female role models at the highest levels are crucial to help achieve a better representation of women throughout academia.

“We strongly believe a better gender balance is not only vitally important for equal appreciation and opportunities, but also because a better balance leads to better quality in science and education,” he said.

A more diverse and inclusive approach

Jan Willem Besselaar, director of marketing, communication and student community at Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas), said the “flexible environment, convenient working hours” and the fact that leadership roles were “easier to combine with private life” contributed to greater female recruitment.

He added there are “more and more professional networks for top professional women that increase visibility-awareness and generate publicity”.

He also noted a “more conscious search for capable women when filling vacancies” and that “more recruitment agencies are looking for suitable candidates in a more diverse and inclusive way”.

Government policies “always contribute positively, but this has not been particularly necessary in our sector”, he said, adding Dutch universities must work on all aspects of inclusivity.

“It is important that sufficient diversity remains; this benefits quality and this goes beyond just the male-female discussion,” he added.

At BUas, everyone is treated equally and given the same opportunities, regardless of gender, background or religion, he said.

“Unfortunately … diversity within management is not yet sufficient. While there is gender diversity, there is a lack of national-international or background diversity. We are aware of this and are incorporating it into our recruitment policy,” he noted.

He said the female-male ratio “should not overshoot the mark” as that would reduce diversity. “At BUas, 44% are men and 56% are women. The executive board consists of one man and one woman. The nine directors are four women and five men – a good proportional distribution,” he noted.