Elite life science labs led by men hire more men than women

Nature : Women earn more than 50% of the PhDs in the life sciences every year, but only 18% of full professors in the field are women. The discrepancy may be because most assistant professors are chosen from elite labs and those labs hire significantly more men than women. The finding was made by Jason Sheltzer of MIT and Joan Smith of Twitter who analyzed demographics data from labs in 39 departments at 24 of the top US research institutions. In labs led by men, 36% of postdocs and 47% of grad students were women, compared with 46% and 53% respectively in labs led by women. In male-led “elite” labs—those led by men who are members of the National Academies of Science or receiving Howard Hughes Medical Institute funding—the proportion of female postdocs dropped to just 31%. In elite labs led by women, there was no significant change in gender distribution in postdocs and grad students.