Share of female professors, in the Netherlands and EU countries

What is the proportion of female professors within Dutch universities?

Analysis
The general broad universities have a higher share of female professors than average. The technical universities have a relatively small proportion of female professors.
 

In which scientific areas do most female professors work?

Analysis
Over the past ten years, the share of female professors in the Netherlands shows a steady increase among all scientific areas. Since 2016, the Humanities and Behavioral sciences, as well as Law are the only scientific areas in which over a quarter of the professors (in fte) is female. The lowest share of female professors can be found in the scientific fields Economics, Engineering and Nature sciences with percentages of 18.5%, 19.8% and 20.9% in 2023, respectively. 
 

What is the proportion of female professors within university medical centers?

Analysis
The monitor on female professors, published by the Dutch network of female professors, presents data on female professors at the university medical centers. The average share of female professors at these centers was 30% in 2022 (28% in 2021), which is a bit higher than the average of female professors at the universities. The share varies between 24.2% and 38%. Compared to 2021, the share of female professors increased the most at LUMC by 2.8 percentpoints. 
 

How do these figures compare to other European countries?

Analysis
Compared to the EU countries, the Netherlands has a relatively low share of female professors (based on 2018 data). Of the countries in the figure only Belgium and Germany has a lower share of female professors. But Luxembourg, Hungary and Cyprus (countries not presented in the figure) also have a lower share of female professors than the Netherlands. Because the share of female professors is rising in the Netherlands, the question is whether the Netherlands is still lagging behind in Europe.