Do you work in academia? Are you a woman? Then there's a good chance you earn less than your male colleagues, despite working the same number of hours. Why is that?

According to a report by the Dutch Network of Women Professors (LHNV), female scholars are missing out on millions each year. On average, the gross monthly income for female full professors is €799 lower than that of their male counterparts. They don’t work more part-time hours than male professors nor do more women work in the academic fields that offer lower salaries.

They are, however, 4.5 years younger on average. According to the network, this is because they finish school more quickly and because of the higher outflow of older female scholars. And this income difference is not reserved for full professors alone (although the gap is certainly higher in this group): associate professors and assistant professors also receive lower monthly salaries.

‘Assertiveness is a trait we value in men, not women’

Professor of Organisational Behaviour Yvonne Benschop was not surprised to learn about these figures. “This is nothing new to us. We’ve known about the salary gap across all disciplines for years now, and it’s been a subject of contention for just as long.” Professor Benschop knows that women in academic positions are less likely to be appointed high-level jobs and are therefore excluded from the higher salary scales associated with these positions. Men are more likely to become tier-one professors (hoogleraar 1 en 2 ranking in the Dutch higher education system) and women are more likely to be appointed tier-two professors. The same applies to tier-one assistant professors and tier-one associate professors. Benschop believes this second-tier ranking of female professors is caused by systematically underestimating the inherent qualities women possess.

Modesty
According to Benschop, who is a tier-two professor, there’s nothing wrong with the negotiation strategies employed by women. While she demonstrated this in her own research, there is also evidence to support that women are not overly modest. “An international study published this week found that women ask for a raise just as often as men. The problem is: they aren’t given the raise nearly as often. Asking for a raise always calls for some form of negotiation.” It makes no difference whether they are negotiating with a man or a woman. “We know that both men and women are guilty of gender stereotyping. We also know that most people are put off by overly assertive female employees. Assertiveness is a trait we value in men, not women.”

‘Men find it easier to debate an offer’

But that’s not the whole story, says Margot van Mulken, dean of the Faculty of Arts. In her position, she regularly discusses both position and salary with other scholars. Most of the professors who request a tier-one professorship, and these are overwhelmingly men, are not granted one. “Nearly everyone at our university has a tier-two position. I see no reason to increase their salaries even further.”

Most female candidates readily accept the salary offered by Van Mulken. “I’ve noticed that many women feel uncomfortable negotiating about money; this is something I recognise in myself. They’re more likely to accept my first offer.” Van Mulken has also noticed that men are more likely to debate an offer. “Men are more persistent and, because of that, are more likely to get what they want. They present so many arguments in favour of their request that you can’t help but think there’s something to it.” Van Mulken suspects that things will only start to change when women start consistently demanding higher salaries.

Gender bias
This is not something Professor of Economics Esther-Mirjam Sent did when she first applied in Nijmegen. “I had been working in the United States, where my salary was much higher. Here they presented me with an offer and said that was the best they could do, which I wrongly believed.” Sent, herself a tier-two professor, felt privileged to work for the Nijmegen university and didn’t protest the offer. “I wasn’t familiar with the Dutch negotiation culture. In fact, I only really learned how to negotiate from the men I hired for my research group.”

Like Benschop, Sent believes there’s a gender bias between men and women. “Economic studies have shown that women are less likely to be seen as leaders.” Application letters submitted by women are also read through a different lens than those submitted by men. “If a woman spends a year abroad, people quickly assume it’s to follow her husband. They also assume that men go abroad to gain relevant work experience.”

Sent believes women should learn how to stand up for themselves. She also believes that universities should take a more professional approach when it comes to appointments. “Bias still plays far too big a role in appointments, regardless of how good the intentions may be.”