{"id":3567,"date":"2025-03-04T11:34:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T10:34:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/?p=3567"},"modified":"2026-04-20T08:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T07:47:14","slug":"women-at-the-academic-top-whats-holding-us-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/women-at-the-academic-top-whats-holding-us-back\/","title":{"rendered":"International Women\u2019s Day: On the glass ceiling (and whether it really exists)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><strong>On 8 March, it is International Women\u2019s Day. With women making up 52% of our &nbsp;staff members, our university seems to be doing exceptionally well in that respect. However, there is a caveat: eight out of ten staff members in the highest academic ranks are still men. \u2018How can you advance as a woman? The first step is to talk about your ambitions.\u2019<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we want to strive for excellence as a university, a <strong>healthy gender balance and diversity are essential,<\/strong> states <strong>Quentin Callens of Team Diversity &amp; Inclusion<\/strong>. \u2018In both research and teaching, diversity increases quality. It enhances creativity, innovation and the variety of perspectives. In addition, as a university, we naturally prioritise equal opportunities and social justice.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking at our university\u2019s performance in terms of gender equality, the predominance of women in the student population stands out. This trend has been going on for years, and it continues to grow. In the past academic year, women accounted for 58.2% of all students, as compared to 53.3% in 2013\/2014. Among PhD students, the balance is relatively equal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8216;As we move up the academic ladder, however, the proportion of women declines\u2019, notes Quentin. \u2018Whereas 44.2% of all lecturers are women, the share drops to 22.4% among full professors. In 2014, this was only 14.9% \u2013 so there\u2019s an upward trend.\u2019 That the gap is narrowing is also demonstrated by a nice first: in 2021, for the first time, more women than men were appointed as ZAP members (55% versus 45%), a phenomenon that was repeated in 2024 (55.6% versus 44.4%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Gender distribution among ZAP (and full professors)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>2013-2014: 22% (full professors: 14.9%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2018-2019: 24% (full professors: 20.5%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2023-2024: 30% (full professors: 22.4%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u2018The over-representation of men in senior ranks is partly a legacy of the past\u2019, Quentin explains. \u2018Because academics don\u2019t become professors until later in their careers, feminisation evolves slowly. However, there\u2019s more to it than that: women academics are simply less likely to advance. It seems unlikely that unconscious discrimination is not playing any role in this regard. It\u2019s therefore up to us to analyse this and, most importantly, to do something about it.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Is there a glass ceiling?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>V<strong>ice-Rectors Nathalie Dens and Chris Van Ginneken<\/strong> have their doubts. \u2018That there are far more men than women working at the highest academic level does not necessarily mean that women have fewer opportunities. We also see more men at the top in business. The question is why this is so. Might women simply have less appetite for that kind of position?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"3585\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227n_dens03-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3585\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227n_dens03-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227n_dens03-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227n_dens03-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227n_dens03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227n_dens03-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nathalie Dens,  vice-rector for social engagement and international policy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"3588\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227vginneken_dens03-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3588\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227vginneken_dens03-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227vginneken_dens03-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227vginneken_dens03-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227vginneken_dens03-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227vginneken_dens03-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227vginneken_dens03-scaled.jpg 1706w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chris Van Ginneken and Nathalie Dens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"3582\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227c_vginneken03-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3582\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227c_vginneken03-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227c_vginneken03-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227c_vginneken03-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227c_vginneken03-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227c_vginneken03-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250227c_vginneken03-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chris Van Ginneken,  vice-rector for education and student affairs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>At our university, women are always given every opportunity<\/strong>. \u2018The fact remains, however, that women take on more caring responsibilities. This makes it a challenge to combine work and family \u2013 even for me\u2019, notes Nathalie. She is nevertheless aware that, as a ZAP member, she enjoys a great deal of freedom. \u2018We can determine our own work schedules to a large extent, which is certainly not the case in a nine-to-five job.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Both strongly support gender diversity in teams. Chris says \u2018It\u2019s a clich\u00e9, but women and men think differently. If for no other reason, it\u2019s good to have men and women in every team. It ensures a variety of perspectives \u2013 without getting involved in pigeon-holing. In the end, we are all individuals.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Women in science<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Do women academics have to overcome additional hurdles? <strong>Els Du Bois,<\/strong> research professor in the Faculty of Design Sciences and head of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.be\/en\/projects\/reuse-lab\/\">REuse-Lab<\/a>, chooses her words carefully. \u2018As a young mother, gaining research experience abroad isn\u2019t self-evident, but it\u2019s a selection criterion in the appointment of professors. Be that as it may, I wasn\u2019t personally judged on that.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past, she occasionally encountered sexist remarks or situations where a male professor was the only one in the group who didn\u2019t shake her hand. &#8216;Without wanting to stigmatize that group, it was usually an older colleague. For the younger generation, it doesn\u2019t matter whether you are a man or a woman.&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2362\" height=\"1330\" data-id=\"3647\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250303e_dubois05-edited.jpg\" alt=\"Els Du Bois\" class=\"wp-image-3647\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250303e_dubois05-edited.jpg 2362w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250303e_dubois05-edited-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250303e_dubois05-edited-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250303e_dubois05-edited-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250303e_dubois05-edited-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250303e_dubois05-edited-2048x1153.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Professor Els Du Bois, research professor in the Faculty of Design Sciences<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>As recently as February, Els was one of the faces of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u2018As long as initiatives like that are still needed, I\u2019m happy to help. More and more women are choosing science, but you still see mostly men in the highest positions\u2019, she observes.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>She personally feels that women have an edge in some areas.<\/strong> \u2018In my research, I\u2019m mainly concerned with sustainability and recycling. Making the transition to a sustainable society requires solving a complex puzzle and having an eye for the common good of society. Those are areas in which women are very strong.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Not just now<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nele Hillewaere, faculty director, Applied Engineering (FTI)<\/strong>, experiences our university as <strong>a women-friendly institution.<\/strong> \u2018We offer a warm working environment for everyone. Well-being and ambition are not mutually exclusive, and for those who want it, there\u2019s room to take a break from focusing on career growth. If we continue to do so, we\u2019ll eventually see diversity in all ranks.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1439\" data-id=\"3649\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250224n_hillewaere01-edited-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3649\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250224n_hillewaere01-edited-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250224n_hillewaere01-edited-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250224n_hillewaere01-edited-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250224n_hillewaere01-edited-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250224n_hillewaere01-edited-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/250224n_hillewaere01-edited-2048x1151.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nele Hillewaere, <strong>faculty director Applied Engineering (FTI)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>At FTI, only three out of thirty professors are women. Nele: &#8216;It starts with the student intake, where only 12% of students are currently women. We\u2019re trying to boost that figure, partly by advancing women as role models and emphasising that engineers can also find a place in <em>soft<\/em> sectors, such as healthcare or sustainability.&#8217;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Her advice to women looking to move up the ladder? \u2018Talk about it, with both colleagues and supervisors. This will bring your dream a lot closer and get your ambitions out into the open. You\u2019ll also receive feedback, which is very important. Don\u2019t doubt yourself; just follow your ambition.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Promoting diversity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the meantime, <strong>our university has been making considerable efforts to promote gender diversity<\/strong>. Back in 2014, an initial action plan was rolled out for this purpose. Over the years, numerous supporting measures have been introduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Quentin continues, \u2018In doing so, we\u2019ve been focusing more and more on diversity in general, and therefore also in terms of ideology, socio-economic status, ethnic background and other factors. We look for solutions that benefit everyone.\u2019<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This manifests itself in<strong> a variety of initiatives<\/strong>. Examples include training on coping with inappropriate behaviour, training on recruitment and selection, free menstrual supplies in the restrooms, tools for gender-inclusive communication, a policy paper on family-friendly meetings, and tips on inclusive education. We also have very concrete measures, such as the possibility of working from home and flexible working hours, in addition to making it easier for women and men to combine family and career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our university has also had <strong>gender quotas for the highest advisory boards<\/strong> for years, with a maximum of two-thirds of members allowed to be the same sex. In Nathalie\u2019s opinion, this cuts both ways: \u2018In itself, the measure is women-friendly, but it does mean that, as a professor and woman, you\u2019re very often asked to serve on such boards \u2013 whereas you\u2019re ultimately evaluated on your research.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also an <strong>increasing focus on inclusiveness from Europe<\/strong>, according to Samantha Brunt from the Diversity team. \u2018Research-funding bodies are increasingly encouraging scientists to look through an inclusion lens, sometimes through training early in their research careers. How do you assemble your research team? Which group is your research about? A diverse approach leads to higher quality, as it ensures that the results are applicable to the broader society.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Continued attention<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our university currently has a new diversity policy plan for students and staff in the pipeline, which will be officially presented on 1 April during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.be\/en\/projects\/diversity-and-inclusion\/activities\/policy-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Policy Day on Diversity &amp; Inclusion<\/a>. At the event, you will be able to participate in workshops and roundtable discussions. \u2018We aim for a university where everyone feels at home, with the slogan: <em>Diversity as an asset, inclusion as a norm\u2019<\/em>, says Nathalie, who has been working on the plan as part of her Social Engagement responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The key here is to draw continued attention to the issue. For example, on March 6, there will be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.be\/nl\/evenementen\/maand-voor-inclusie-en-engagement\/activiteiten-en-campagnes\/greatkitchen\/\">a screening of an Indian film on the position of women in society<\/a>. There was also a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.be\/en\/events\/ethnic-cultural-inclusion-and-global-engagement\/activities-and-campaigns\/masculinity\/\">workshop on the supportive role that men play in the inclusion of women in our society<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Quentin knows that an optimistic approach works better than a raised finger. \u2018Our message is not that sexism is rampant at our university, but that it still exists. The question here isn\u2019t who\u2019s to blame, but rather: how can we change that?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><strong>Has this article inspired you to be more mindful of gender (or other forms of) diversity? <\/strong>Be sure to browse the wide range of training courses, webinars and workshops on the topic, or join one of the academic networks to connect with other researchers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\"><strong>Additional information:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/pintra.uantwerpen.be\/webapps\/ua-pintrasite-BBLEARN\/module\/index.jsp?course_id=_6_1&amp;tid=_19059_1&amp;lid=_19061_1&amp;l=en_us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pintra<\/a> (recruitment support for supervisors)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mediasite.uantwerpen.be\/Mediasite\/Channel\/330a2ce933094668a890cd54a4a58b615f\/browse\/null\/title-az\/null\/0\/null\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Webinar on Recruitment &amp; Selection \u2013 Training for selection committees<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.be\/en\/projects\/diversity-and-inclusion\/policy\/gender\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gender | Diversity and inclusion | University of Antwerp<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.be\/en\/projects\/diversity-and-inclusion\/for-staff\/inclusion-training-and-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">D&amp;I training and support | Diversity and inclusion | University of Antwerp<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uantwerpen.be\/en\/projects\/women-in-science-engineering\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Women in science and engineering<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Figures on gender distribution through <a href=\"mailto:an.vanhaarlem@uantwerpen.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an.vanhaarlem@uantwerpen.be<\/a> (students and PhD researchers) and <a href=\"mailto:nick.franssens@uantwerpen.be\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">nick.franssens@uantwerpen.be<\/a> (staff)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>March 8 marks International Women\u2019s Day. With 52% female employees, UAntwerp seems to be performing well in terms of gender equality. But there&#8217;s a caveat: in the highest academic ranks, eight out of ten professors are still men. \u201cHow can women advance? The first step is to talk about your ambitions.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":3591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[606,608],"tags":[303,544],"coauthors":[139],"class_list":["post-3567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-people-behind-the-university","category-working-at-uantwerp","tag-diversity","tag-international-womens-day"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>International Women\u2019s Day: On the glass ceiling (and whether it really exists) - Pintra (EN) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.uantwerpen.be\/pintra-en\/women-at-the-academic-top-whats-holding-us-back\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"International Women\u2019s Day: On the glass ceiling (and whether it really exists) - Pintra (EN) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"March 8 marks International Women\u2019s Day. With 52% female employees, UAntwerp seems to be performing well in terms of gender equality. But there&#039;s a caveat: in the highest academic ranks, eight out of ten professors are still men. \u201cHow can women advance? 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