Is the relationship between research grade and academic rank different for men than for women in New Zealand universities?

Abstract

In New Zealand universities in 2012, just 19% of professors and 31% of associate professors were female. This gender difference is not unique to New Zealand and has been studied elsewhere. Explanations proposed include demographics, discrimination, different behaviours in applying for promotion, career breaks, and familial responsibilities. Ours is the first study to compare promotion trajectories for men and women with similar research performance. New Zealand provides a globally unique laboratory for this, with the Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF). On a six-yearly cycle, the PBRF grades every staff researcher in every New Zealand institute of tertiary education. Each researcher receives a grade: A, B, C, or R.