Gender inequality in academic promotion: Evidence from career trajectories of researchers in Japan

• In Event: Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 9: Women in Academia

Abstract

Despite growing awareness of gender inequity in academia, disparities in academic promotion remain a persistent issue. Using career-trajectory data for 78,208 researchers from Japan’s researchmap platform, this study examines gender inequality in promotion trajectories across two key transitions: from PhD to associate professor, and from associate professor to full professor. We examine how gender gaps in promotion time vary across cohorts, disciplines, and career stages, and assess their associations with career-history and institutional factors. Results show pronounced heterogeneity over time and across fields. Gender disparities in promotion time are more evident in early-career transitions than in later transitions, and gaps have narrowed in more recent cohorts. However, substantial inequalities persist in both Humanities and STEM disciplines and are associated with initial position type, postdoctoral experience, inter-institutional mobility, disciplinary context, and university sector (public vs. private). By foregrounding promotion timelines as a core dimension of career stratification, this study discusses how institutional structures and environments differentially shape academic career advancement by gender, with implications for Japan and comparable academic systems.

Authors

• PEI RONGKANG, Tohoku University

• Zhichao Wang

• Zeyu Lyu

• Shu Chen