In the German state of Saarland, the number of females holding full-time professor positions at universities is dismally low, accounting for a mere 23% in 2022. Contrasting this figure, the Statistics Office in Wiesbaden revealed that the percentage of women in academia in Saarland decreases steadily until they reach the pinnacle of their academic careers – the professorship.
In an alarming comparison, only 28% of full-time female professors were counted nationwide by the Federal Statistical Office. On the other hand, Berlin boasts the highest proportion of women in full-time professor roles among all German states, with 36% of their professors being female.
The reasons behind Saarland's disproportionate low number of female professors involve various factors, such as the "leaky pipeline" phenomenon, gender disparities in habilitations and first-time W3 appointments, funding constraints, systemic and cultural barriers, and institutional sexism and recruitment practices.
The "leaky pipeline" phenomenon suggests that the proportion of women in progressing up the academic career ladder significantly decreases, leading to a scarcity of female professors. The National Report on Early Career Researchers 2025 highlights this issue, showing a decrease in the proportion of women progressing up their qualifications and careers in academia.
Another contributing factor to the gender disparities is the lack of women in first-time habilitations and W3 appointments, even though an increase in women for first-time W2 appointments has been observed between 2018 and 2022. However, this improvement has not fully addressed the disparities in higher academic positions.
Funding constraints in the humanities in recent years have also negatively impacted researchers, making it difficult for them to finance projects or secure grants. This challenge disproportionately affects women researchers in their pursuit of becoming professors.
Systemic barriers, such as sex stereotyping, lack of media support, and political socialization, also contribute to the underrepresentation of women in top academic positions. Women often face biases and stereotypes that hinder their progression in academia.
Institutional sexism and recruitment practices can further exacerbate the underrepresentation of women in academia. Party leaders often tend to recruit candidates who resemble themselves, usually men, which creates limitations for women's opportunities to be considered for academic positions.
In sum, factors including the "leaky pipeline" phenomenon, gender disparities in habilitations and first-time W3 appointments, funding constraints, systematic and cultural barriers, and institutional sexism and recruitment practices contribute to lower proportion of female full-time professors in Saarland universities compared to other German states and nationwide.
