Principle Investigator: Anina Mischau

Project Members: Kiymet Orhan (FU Berlin,  08/2019 – 12/2024), Anna Ransiek (FU Berlin, since 08/2019)

Project Duration: 07/2019 – 12/2025

Funded by: MATH+

Up to now, equality between women and men in mathematics in science and academia in Germany has not been achieved. The proportion of women, although almost on a parity basis among first-year students for years, decreases steadily with each academic career level – a phenomenon that is also known as the leaky pipeline. This means: The existing recruitment potential for the next scientific qualification and status level in mathematics is still not being exhausted. As a result, female mathematicians continue to be underrepresented at the level of professorships and in other scientific leadership positions. This is despite the implementation of various equality measures aimed at addressing gender disparities in career paths and overcoming the leaky-pipeline phenomenon.

The reasons discussed include gendered gatekeeping, gender biases in appointment practices and in recognition and support cultures on the one hand, and gender differences with regard to career knowledge and actions among researchers in early career phases on the other. Identification with the subject and the diverse correlations between the image of mathematics and gender stereotypes are also mentioned as significant.

This project examines mechanisms and processes that reproduce gender disparities in mathematics, and may (still) work even in excellent working environments such as MATH+. MATH+ offers a unique opportunity to examine both access to an excellent research environment at different career levels and status transitions in academia. The aim of the project is to highlight potentially existing gender disparities in MATH+ and give scientific advice for overcoming these disparities. In addition, the project should contribute to the scientific discourse in gender studies as well as higher education research and science studies – on gender disparities for mathematics in particular but also for STEM subjects in general. The project is oriented towards a mixed-method design combining qualitative and quantitative research (in collaboration with the WZB).

Qualitative part

In the first phase semi-structured interviews with 44 male and female scientists in leadership positions (PIs, AIs and Co-AIs) in the cluster were conducted (spring/summer 2020). One goal was to approach the gendered practices and interpretations of recruitment and support processes and to identify the implicit gender stereotypes and their effects on the reproduction mechanisms of gender disparities.
In the second phase semi-structured interviews with 21 male and female doctoral students and postdocs in the cluster were conducted (summer/autumn 2022). One goal was to examine their self-image as mathematicians, their perspectives on the field and their career paths.

Related Publications

Ransiek, A. & Mischau, A. (2024). Being a woman or being a mathematician: Self and external perceptions of female early career researchers in a mathematical cluster of excellence. Current Sociology,0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00113921241298699

Mischau, A. & Ransiek, A. (2024). Gendered Gatekeeping in the Recruitment and Support of (Prospective) PhDs and Postdocs in a Mathematical Cluster of Excellence. International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 16(1), 71–99. https://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/article/view/1458

Hofmeister, S., Lindenau, J., Mischau, A., Ransiek, A. & Solga, H. (2021). Erste Befunde aus dem Projekt ‘MATH+ as a Research Object’. Karriereziele, -wissen und -handeln, Nachwuchsförderung und Rekrutierung. WZB Discussion Paper P I 2021-501, WZB. More

Posters

Mischau, A. & Ransiek, A. (October 18, 2024). Factors influencing womens career paths in mathematics. MATH+ Day, Berlin. More

Hofmeister, S., Mischau, A., Ransiek, A. & Solga, H. (October 20, 2023). Gender Disparities in Career Paths in Math. MATH+ Day, Berlin. More

Hofmeister, S., Mischau, A., Ransiek, A. & Solga, H. (August 23, 2022). Gender Disparities in Career Paths in Math: Findings from a Mixed-Method Approach. EWM General Meeting 2022, Helsinki. More

Selected Talks

Ransiek, A. (November 28, 2024). Old Barriers or New Changes? Gender in a Mathematical Cluster of Excellence. 5th METIS-Lecture, Berlin (online).

Ransiek, A. (September 5, 2024). Gender as a Barrier in Mathematics? Perspectives of Scientists in Leadership Positions on PhD Students and Postdocs and its Influence on Gendered Gatekeeping. Developments in Modern Mathematics: a 2nd WiMGo conference, Göttingen.

Ransiek, A. (July 19, 2024). Should I stay or should I go? Perspectives of Female and Male PhD Students and Postdocs in a Mathematical Cluster of Excellence on their Academic/Scientific Career, 7th Network Gender & STEM Conference, Heidelberg.

Ransiek, A. (April 11, 2024). Women’s need for Optimization im Spannungsfeld von Gatekeeping und Gleichstellungspolitik. Workshop Women in Optimization, SFB Transregio 154, Erlangen.

Ransiek, A. (January 25, 2024). Does gender still matter? Perspektiven von Gatekeeper*innen und Nachwuchswissenschaftler*innen eines mathematischen Exzellenzclusters auf wissenschaftliche Karrieren. Ringvorlesung: Vielfalt schafft Wissenschaft – Wissenschaft schafft Vielfalt. Gesellschaftliche Herausforderungen im Blick der Gender- und Diversityforschung in MINT, Berlin.

Ransiek, A. (October 6, 2023). Picture a Mathematician. Perspektiven von (weiblichen) Doktorand*innen und Postdocs eines mathematischen Exzellenzclusters auf sich, das mathematische Feld und ihre Karrieren. Jahrestreffen des Arbeitskreises Frauen, Gender & Diversity und Mathematik, Siegen (online).

Ransiek, A. (September 26, 2023). Picture a Mathematician. Erklärungen für bestehende Geschlechterdisparitäten in einem mathematischen Exzellenzcluster. inisymposium: Soziale Dimensionen der Mathematik, DMV Meeting, Illmenau.

Ransiek, A. & Mischau, A. (June 29, 2023). (Gendered) Gatekeeping in the Recruitment and Support of (Female) Early-Stage Researchers in a Mathematical Cluster of Excellence. RC52: Sociology of Professional Groups, XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne (online).

Ransiek, A. & Mischau, A. (June 28, 2023). Being a Woman or Being a Mathematician? (Self-)Perceptions of Female Early-Stage Researchers in an Excellent Mathematical Research Environment. RC 23: Sociology of Science and Technology, XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne (online).

Ransiek, A. (May 11, 2023) Why is Math still a Man’s World? Possible Explanations from an Excellent Mathematical Research Environment. Impulses for the International Day of Women in Mathematics, FU Berlin (online).

Ransiek, A. (February 9, 2023). Geschlechterdisparitäten in der Mathematik. Befunde aus einer exzellenten Forschungsumgebung. Meet and Math, Arbeitskreis Gleichstellung des Fachbereiches Mathematik, Darmstadt.

Ransiek, A. & Mischau, A. (July 21, 2022). Gendered gatekeeping in the recruitment of early-stage researchers in a mathematical cluster of excellence. 6th Network Gender & STEM Conference, München (online).