Women Academics in Australian Universities

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Abstract
In addition to holding only one in six teaching appointments in Australian universities, women predominantly occupy junior positions. The current ratio of women to men academics, as well as differences found in their disciplinary affiliations, matches the participation rates of the two sexes in postgraduate training within Australian universities in an earlier period. It is argued that the number of women entering university teaching has been limited by the traditional conflict between career demands and family life-cycle commitments. Sex differences in educational achievement are becoming less marked, and concepts of women's roles have changed. However, although there are now more women qualified for university appointments, the steady state of Australian universities, together with the age structure of existing staff, will result in relatively few vacant academic positions over the next 20 years. The proportion of women academics seems unlikely to change to any marked extent in the short term. Some implications of a university system with predominantly male academics are discussed.