Gender disparities in Italian academia: findings from an explorative study among early-career researchers

Despite significant progress in mitigating gender bias in academia over recent decades, research continues to highlight its persistent and systematic presence within Italian and European institutions. In 2010, women constituted 59% of all graduates in Europe, but only 20% held professorial positions – a figure that rose to 28% by 2020. These disparities extend beyond the realm of full professorship, permeating all aspects of academic work, including publication rates, citation metrics, patent applications, and prestigious scientific awards. In the Italian context, although women outnumber men among university graduates, their career advancement remains slower, highlighting how the gender gap widens with career advancement. Following a well-known pattern, as academic roles ascend, female representation declines – illustrated by a decreasing percentage of women from fellows to full professors. The present study attempts to explore the structural, systemic, and personal factors contributing to these disparities, advocating for further research and exploration. More specifically, this exploratory work employed a questionnaire administered to around 800 early career researchers (Ph.D. students, post-doc researchers, and fixed-term researchers) from different academic institutions in Italy, to gain insight into their perception of daily life within academia, their experiences of discrimination, quality of life and work-life balance. Findings revealed gender and socioeconomic status as pivotal determinants of divergent perceptions regarding discrimination, quality of life, and the difficulty of reconciling work and private life. The study offers significant insights for developing interventions to support the well-being of university staff, reduce gender discrimination, and foster greater awareness of these issues.