Gender and Social Class Issue in Academic Field

Dear Colleagues,

It can be proved that the persistence of gender differentials in academia persists, as in the majority of social spaces, and that in some countries they are actually widening. Statistics from UN Women, the OECD and from other national and international institutions show that there are also very few women in research and higher academic positions. Despite the fact the number of women enrolled in university studies is higher than ever, there is a substantial decline in the proportion of women who make a career in the university once they have defended their thesis. This “historical discrimination” continues notwithstanding efforts aimed at improving legislation and social awareness. The Sustainable Development Goals refer specifically to this gender marginalization. In the world of sports, in businesses and corporations, in research and in a large number of social spaces, the gaps remain under the thin layer of what is politically correct. And the university space is no exception. Patterns of discrimination remain virtually unchanged insofar as trends are little different from twenty years ago. This discrimination does not benefit today’s corporate culture, since it leaves some potentialities and talents unused.

The lack of role models means that women rarely see themselves represented as academics and scientists. It is therefore important to analyse exactly what women make of this situation. The micro-inequalities that exist in the departments and classrooms - such as minor but cumulative exclusion behaviours, little opportunity to become part of a community of people starting out on their careers, difficulty in finding support and guidance, dealing with feelings of guilt and anxiety plus other complex factors - explain why women academics and scientists generally acquiesce and accept the place assigned them by the scientific community. These and other factors need to be analysed, as they no longer justify the underrepresentation of women in university systems.

If we add to this the fact that the university has not opened its doors more widely to welcome the underprivileged and vulnerable social classes, the situation is clearly inequitable. We must ask ourselves when and where the gap of participation in research and entrepreneurship begins. Is it in families, in schools, in media, or at the time when students choose their studies? Can we ask ourselves when and where the desertion and abandonment of High and Higher studies of the sons and daughters of the working classes and of the children of migrants begins? At what point does Higher Education stop welcoming the most vulnerable? It is relevant because students’ dropout from academic studies could means exclusion or fewer opportunities from worthy work, just as labour statistics show. In the framework of SDG, this special issue therefore invites and welcomes critical research on the role of gender and social class in academic and professional field.

Contributions have to follow one of the three categories (article/review/conceptual paper) of papers for the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue. Please read details at: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/societies/instructions.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Maria Angeles Martinez Ruiz
Dr. María J. Hernández-Amorós
Guest Editors

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• sustainable development goals
• gender differentials in academia
• discrimination in learning opportunities
• underrepresentation of deprived social classes in access to higher education