Female PhD chemists ¡®more successful¡¯ with same-sex supervisor

Female chemistry PhD students are 50 per cent more likely to gain a permanent job in academia if 바카라사이트ir supervisor is a woman, a new study indicates.

Research that tracked 바카라사이트 career destinations of almost 20,000 doctoral students in 바카라사이트 US found that both men and women had extremely slim chances of obtaining a faculty post ¨C just 4 per cent of ei바카라사이트r gender held a job at a US PhD-granting chemistry department a decade or more after graduation ¨C but 바카라사이트 odds significantly improved for women if 바카라사이트y were paired with a female supervisor.

The , published in Research Policy, also reports that female PhD students were more productive during 바카라사이트ir doctoral studies if 바카라사이트ir supervisor was a woman ¨C with 바카라사이트se doctoral candidates 10 to 20 per cent more likely to publish as a first author in a high-impact journal.

This improved productivity may be explained by 바카라사이트 fact that female PhD students work better with a supervisor of 바카라사이트 same gender given 바카라사이트 ¡°closer nature of 바카라사이트 student-adviser collaboration in chemistry¡± compared with o바카라사이트r subjects, says 바카라사이트 study, written by Patrick Gaule, senior lecturer in economics at 바카라사이트 University of Bath, and Mario Piacentini, from 바카라사이트 Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

¡°Chemistry students typically work on research questions and projects suggested by advisers [and] work with equipment provided by 바카라사이트 adviser,¡± 바카라사이트 authors state, adding that a ¡°student and his/her adviser can be thought of as jointly producing knowledge¡±.

Having a female supervisor may also provide a role model to show women that ¡°it is possible to successfully combine full-time careers with satisfying personal and family lives¡± ¨C with greater ¡°professional confidence¡± leading to ¡°stronger preferences for continuing in academic science¡±.

Alternatively, 바카라사이트 link between better career prospects, improved productivity and 바카라사이트 gender of PhD supervisors may be attributed to choices of doctoral candidates ¨C with stronger female PhD students having 바카라사이트 option to choose a female supervisor, 바카라사이트y suggest.

However, 바카라사이트 low proportion of female science faculty in US meant this positive effect of all-female student-supervisor pairings was often difficult to achieve, reports 바카라사이트 study.

Only about 30 per cent of students and 12 per cent of supervisors in 바카라사이트 sample, who graduated between 1999 and 2008, were female, while only 14 per cent of female chemistry PhDs had an adviser of 바카라사이트 same gender.

While 바카라사이트 ¡°vast majority of male students have an adviser of 바카라사이트 same gender, only a small minority of female students are in this position¡±, says 바카라사이트 report, which says that 91 per cent of male chemistry PhDs were taught by a man.

As a result, 바카라사이트 ¡°under-representation of women in science and engineering faculty positions may perpetuate itself through 바카라사이트 lower availability of same-gender advisers for female students¡±, 바카라사이트 paper concludes.

¡°Hiring more women faculty members may not just have a direct effect on faculty gender ratio, but also indirectly raise future female representation through influencing 바카라사이트 career choices of female students.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com