Fully Promoted: The Distribution and Determinants of Full Professorship in the Economics Profession

Abstract

In this paper, we document the distribution and determinants of full professorship in the economics profession. Using department-level data from the Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession, we show that while the share of female full professors has increased over time, doctoral departments still only have 2 female full professors on average, and liberal arts departments 1.14. Moreover, 25 percent of doctoral departments and 32 percent of liberal arts departments don't have any female full professors. Using individual-level data from Academic Analytics combined with survival analysis, we find that women are 18 percent less likely to be promoted to full professor, after controlling for institution and individual characteristics.