Where are the women going? A "gender leaky pipeline effect" analysis

• Grant number: 25/02779-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Janina Onuki
• Grantee: Flavia Couto e Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/07129-2 - GENDER STI: gender equality in science, technology and innovation: bilateral and multilateral dialogues, AP.TEM

Abstract

This research aims to analyze which are the determining factors for reducing or not the gender gaps between the different academic levels of the Full-Time Teaching and Research Work Regime, more specifically between MS-3.1, the initial level of teaching, and MS-6, the most advanced level, at the University of São Paulo, which will be observed here as a case study. In other words, we seek to understand what motivates the reduction or stagnation of the gender leaky pipeline effect, that is, the progressive absence of women throughout the different academic stages (CRONIN & ROGER, 1999), at USP. We will work with four hypotheses: H1: Institutional changes in the sense of supporting women's careers at the University of São Paulo are associated with the reduction of gender gaps and gender leaky pipeline effect; H2: The proportion of women among professors at a USP unit is not associated with the reduction of the gender leaky pipeline effect; H3: An increase over the years in the percentage of women in entry-level teaching positions does not translate into an increase in the percentage of women in more advanced levels; H4: The presence of female directors in USP units is associated with a reduction in the gender leaky pipeline effect. A mixed approach will be adopted, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the reality of gender gaps at USP. Thus, in addition to collecting data available in the USP Yearbooks and using the database financed by FAPESP through the Gender STI project (process number 2020/07129-2), in-depth interviews will be conducted with female professors from selected units to obtain a broad understanding of the perceptions and experiences of faculty regarding the determinants of gender distribution at each stage of the career.