Gender and career progression in academia: European evidence

We study the career trajectories of university researchers in Europe, with an emphasis on the speed of career progression in academia, by gender. The analysis is based on data collected by the MORE project (Mobility Survey of the Higher Education Sector), a longitudinal database that gathers responses from over 10,000 university researchers across Europe using comparable definitions and metrics. We find that women have lower probabilities of advancement than their male counterparts, as found by the literature. However, conditional on advancing, women experience a faster career development than men at all career levels. The results suggest that higher salaries outside academia strengthen women's self-selection to stay in the research sector. Faster career progression among women is also influenced by international mobility but only for relatively short periods of time. These findings contribute enrich the general understanding of the dynamics shaping career progression among university researchers, particularly in relation to gender disparities.