Women outstrip men as PhDs for the first time, but still lag in science

The number of women becoming PhDs at a Dutch university outstripped men for the first time in the 2020/21 academic year, broadcaster NOS has reported.

In total, 2,612 women completed a doctorate, compared with 2,607 men but in 1990/91, women accounted for fewer than one in five PhDs, NOS said.

The category ‘health and welfare’ accounted for 38% of the PhDs overall, 60% of whom were women, according to an analysis of the figures by the Rathenau Institute.

Women are also in the clear majority in arts and social sciences, the institute said. In terms of science, women account for 38% of PhDs in total, but at Delft University of Technology just 31%.

Women are now catching up and overtaking men across the university spectrum, although still lagging on pay and permanent positions.

Last year, the national female professors’ network said over a quarter of university professors are now women. When the network was founded 20 years ago, just 6.5% of university professors were female.

Women also hold more than 30% of senior lecturer posts and 43.5% of ordinary lecturers’ jobs.

At the other end of the scale, slightly more women than men start a degree course at a Dutch university and women account for 53.5% of all graduates.