University Career Opportunities for Women in Finland in the 1980s

Abstract

In Finland the proportion of women in university posts has ceased to grow during the 1980s whereas their numbers as doctorate recipients still show an increasing trend. University career opportunities for women are affected by the decreased growth rates of university institutions occasioning harder competition for the few positions that become vacant. Other factors having an effect on women's opportunities for university careers, including career and family role incompatibility and mechanisms of invisible discrimination, are also scrutinized in the paper Family role has many facets for the woman The family is a liability, but also a resource for the woman The higher productivity rates of married researchers, both women and men, and data on time-use indicate that, as such, family responsibilities are not incompatible with a research and university career The notion of incompatibility draws attention away from other factors that impede women's careers in science and scholarly work These include discriminatory practices and attitudes towards women researchers The paper analyses them within the framework of women representing a symbolic minority in science. Examples are supplied by data of solicited letters from women scientists.