Academic careers of women

Sonja Kump

Summary:  This paper provides a review of some discussions on the position of women at universities and the power relations between genders in higher education institutions. At the beginning, the author presents the concepts of the glass ceiling and glass architecture that are linked with the status of women in the academic world. The paper proceeds with foreign and Slovene research findings on the influence and prestige of the university professor and on academic careers of women. A common of this research is persistence of vertical gender segregation. On the basis of statistical analysis of academic status of women in EU-27, Slovenia and at the University of Ljubljana, the authors emphasize the research findings about unequal gender positions at the universities. Although the vertical gender segregation slowly diminishes, the university still appears to be a place where gender hierarchical relations and power relations are reproduced.