The leaky pipeline in science, or why 60% of biology undergrads are female yet only 10% of professors are. Science rejected this after long consideration, but it got published by PLoS Biology. I am just linking to the paper by Peter Lawrence: haven’t read it yet, haven’t read this commentary in The Telegraph, but will do so tomorrow.
I’ve not read it yet, either. However. I’m hopeful that the explanation is not so much a leaky pipeline but (1) demographics [the 60% figure representing current percentage rather than percentage that obtained when the current professoriat received their degrees] and (2) higher salaries outside academe, wooing current female (and male) degree-holders out of the ivory towers.
I suppose this might still mean that academe pursues fewer female candidates, but I would feel less wretched about that if qualified women are being picked up by industry, government, and other well-paying non-university sectors.
Good morning, Happy day-after-haloween! Today the real scares come when all you one night standers find out you just got a nasty case of herpes. 😀