[Cracks in the glass ceiling: an increase in female professors in psychiatry in the Netherlands].

Abstract

Background: Despite major progress in women’s emancipation, women remain underrepresented in the highest academic positions.

Aim: To 1. determine the percentage of female psychiatry professors affiliated with a university medical center (UMC), 2. analyze the increase in female psychiatry professors over the years relative to the number of female psychiatrists, and 3. provide a prognosis for future trends.

Method: For this descriptive study we utilized data from the Dutch Association of Psychiatry and the Dutch UMC, and research questions were answered with descriptive analyses, correlation tests with a Pearson correlation coefficient and group comparisons with a two-tailed t-test. Results were presented graphically.

Results: Out of 40 psychiatry professors in UMC, 14 were women (35%) and 26 were men (65%). A cautious forecast suggested this will rise to 43% by 2030. The average age at appointment for male professors was 46.3 years (SD 5.4), compared to 49 years (SD 5.6) for female professors (p = 0.17).

Conclusion: Over the past two years, the percentage of female psychiatry professors has increased significantly by 11%. Despite the increase, this percentage remains low compared to the 54% of female psychiatrists in 2024 and does not keep pace with the growing number of female psychiatrists. We advocate for policies that promote diversity and inclusion, as these lead to higher quality research and does justice to our diverse patient population.