Research careers and family

Compared to men, there is an absence of women in top academic position. In the Nordic countries, there is no evidence suggesting that this is due to women withdrawing from research more frequently after obtaining a PhD (Berggren 2011, Silander 2010, Vabø, Tømte and Gunnes 2016). It appears that the concept of ‘lagged careers’ may be in effect instead. In other words, women tend to take longer to attain full professorship (Vabø et al. 2016).

This may have consequences for their opportunities for career advancement within competitive academic institutions. It is possible that the family-friendly policies in Nordic countries have fostered a culture where ‘lagged careers’ are deemed acceptable, thus reducing the career costs associated with having children. However, in recent years, the pressure on expedited progression in research careers and the increasing expectations of international mobility and cooperation may heighten the demands of competition and alter the landscape.

The hierarchy of career prestige can vary across disciplines, countries and over time. Within STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine), positions and careers outside universities and colleges may be the most attractive, prestigious, and well paid. Furthermore, new career paths may emerge, attracting female scientists to transition from academia to new occupations arising at the intersection between science and business (Etzkowitz and Ranga 2011). Therefore, it is important to empirically investigate both within and outside the academy, to fully understand variation in women’s academic career advancement.

The work package studies gender differences in research careers – and alternatives to such careers in the public and private sector in the Nordic countries. Central questions include: At what point in the life course, and in what way, do the research careers of women and men diverge? How do men and women perceive and experience possibilities and constraints of work-family dynamics in relation to demands and opportunities both within and outside academia?

To investigate these questions the project will use both longitudinal register data and data from in-depth interviews in Iceland, Sweden, and Norway. The data created a foundation for the process of mapping research careers and analyse the impact of age and family situation on career progressions.

Publications

Grønlund, A. (2020). Having it all, or avoiding black holes?: Career–family strategies and the choice between leaving or staying in academia among Swedish PhDs. Community, Work and Family, 23(5), 576-592. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2020.1777090

Hjálmsdottir, A. & Rafnsdóttir, G. L. (2023). Gender, agency, and time-use among doctorate holders: The case of Iceland. Time & Society, 29(1), 143-165. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X1988448

Østbakken, K. M. & Halldén, K. (2023). The gender pay gap among PhD holders in Sweden and Norway. Institute for Social Research

Staub M., Hjálmsdóttir A.S. &  Rafnsdóttir G.L. (fortcoming). Wages, demographics, and gender: Register analysis among doctoral holders in Iceland. Nordic Journal of Working Life Studies.

Staub. M. & Heijstra, T. M. (2021). “This Would Never be Possible if Not for Our Team Play”: An Analysis of Icelandic Doctorate Earnings from a gender Perspective. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 43, 565-580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-021-09788-y

Teigen, M. & Grønlund. A. (2023). Should I stay or should I go? Gender and career choices to exit or remain in academia. Institute for Social Research

Maya Staub (2022). Careers of Doctorate Holders.  A study of the Gendered Context of Family, Dynamics and Earnings. PhD thesis. University of Iceland