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Are Men Given Priority for Top Jobs? Investigating the Glass Ceiling in Italian Academia

Author

Listed:
  • Maria De Paola
  • Michela Ponzo
  • Vincenzo Scoppa

Abstract

We investigate the gender gap in academic promotions, focusing on the Italian system, in which candidates first participate in a nationwide competition to obtain a scientific qualification and then successful candidates compete to obtain a position at the department level. We estimate the gender gaps in the probability of success at these two stages, controlling for several measures of productivity. Whereas no gender differences emerge at the national level, women have a lower probability of promotion at the department level. Robustness checks suggest that estimated gender gaps are not results of measurement errors.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria De Paola & Michela Ponzo & Vincenzo Scoppa, 2018. "Are Men Given Priority for Top Jobs? Investigating the Glass Ceiling in Italian Academia," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 12(3), pages 475-503.
  • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jhucap:doi:10.1086/698133
    DOI: 10.1086/698133
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Perché la nomina di una rettrice fa ancora notizia
      by Alessandra Casarico, Maria Laura Di Tommaso e Silvia Pasqua in La Voce on 2020-12-03 11:05:15

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Giulio Marini & Viviana Meschitti, 2025. "Shielding the few and perpetrating the pattern for the many: interaction of gender discrimination and status in predicting promotion," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Zacchia, Giulia, 2016. "Segregation or homologation? Gender differences in recent Italian economic thought," MPRA Paper 72279, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Nano, Enrico & Panizza, Ugo & Viarengo, Martina, 2024. "Merit-based scholarships for university graduates: A generation of Italian economists," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    4. Corsi, Marcella & D’Ippoliti, Carlo & Zacchia, Giulia, 2019. "Diversity of backgrounds and ideas: The case of research evaluation in economics," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    5. Kwon, Eunrang & Yun, Jinhyuk & Kang, Jeong-han, 2023. "The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on gendered research productivity and its correlates," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 17(1).
    6. Panizza, Ugo & Nano, Enrico & Viarengo, Martina, 2021. "A Generation of Italian Economists," CEPR Discussion Papers 16135, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Simoes, Nadia & Crespo, Nuno, 2020. "Self-Citations and scientific evaluation: Leadership, influence, and performance," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 14(1).
    8. Fernandes, Mario & Hilber, Simon & Sturm, Jan-Egbert & Walter, Andreas, 2023. "Closing the gender gap in academia? Evidence from an affirmative action program," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(9).
    9. Maura Mezzetti & Ilia Negri, 2024. "Hierarchical Bayesian model to estimate and compare research productivity of Italian academic statisticians," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 129(12), pages 7443-7474, December.
    10. Forth, John & Theodoropoulos, Nikolaos, 2022. "Earnings Discrimination in the Workplace," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1110, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    11. Esther Chan & Di Di & Elaine Howard Ecklund, 2024. "Scientists explain the underrepresentation of women in physics compared to biology in four national contexts," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 399-418, March.
    12. Marcella Corsi & Carlo D'Ippoliti & Giulia Zacchia, 2017. "Gendered careers: women economists in Italy," Working Papers CEB 17-003, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    13. Maria Inmaculada Tazo & Ana Boyano & Unai Fernandez-Gámiz & Amaia Calleja-Ochoa, 2020. "The Gender Perspective of Professional Competencies in Industrial Engineering Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-16, April.
    14. Bozzano, Monica, 2017. "On the historical roots of women's empowerment across Italian provinces: religion or family culture?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 24-46.
    15. Yuki Takahashi, 2020. "Are Men Less Generous to a Smarter Woman? Evidence from a Dictator Game Experiment," Papers 2012.04591, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2025.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • M51 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Firm Employment Decisions; Promotions
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • D78 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Positive Analysis of Policy Formulation and Implementation

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