Gender Imbalance in Physics Education and Employment in Germany: Trends and Challenges

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Aganoglu, Ruzin, Bossmann, Andrea, Böhm, Ulrike, Metzelthin, Anja, Sandner, Agnes, Traulsen, Iris, Zacarias, Angelica
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Aganoglu, Ruzin
Bossmann, Andrea
Böhm, Ulrike
Metzelthin, Anja
Sandner, Agnes
Traulsen, Iris
Zacarias, Angelica
author_facet Aganoglu, Ruzin
Bossmann, Andrea
Böhm, Ulrike
Metzelthin, Anja
Sandner, Agnes
Traulsen, Iris
Zacarias, Angelica
contents Gender imbalance among German physicists persists, with fewer women in advanced degrees and research leadership roles. Although female enrollment in Physics programs increased slightly until 2022, potentially influenced by COVID-19 the long-term trend remains uncertain. Despite the rise in female Ph.D. students and foreign representation, female professors in Physics and Astronomy stagnated below 14 %, indicating significant underrepresentation. Anticipated revisions to the WissZeitVG law may impact female mainstreaming efforts, potentially leading to greater precarization of research staff. Women make up only around 20 % of employed physicists, with low visibility in the community, as seen in the representation of female physicists in prestigious awards. Addressing this imbalance requires structural interventions beyond mere encouragement and empowerment.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2506_19021
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Gender Imbalance in Physics Education and Employment in Germany: Trends and Challenges
Aganoglu, Ruzin
Bossmann, Andrea
Böhm, Ulrike
Metzelthin, Anja
Sandner, Agnes
Traulsen, Iris
Zacarias, Angelica
Physics and Society
Physics Education
Gender imbalance among German physicists persists, with fewer women in advanced degrees and research leadership roles. Although female enrollment in Physics programs increased slightly until 2022, potentially influenced by COVID-19 the long-term trend remains uncertain. Despite the rise in female Ph.D. students and foreign representation, female professors in Physics and Astronomy stagnated below 14 %, indicating significant underrepresentation. Anticipated revisions to the WissZeitVG law may impact female mainstreaming efforts, potentially leading to greater precarization of research staff. Women make up only around 20 % of employed physicists, with low visibility in the community, as seen in the representation of female physicists in prestigious awards. Addressing this imbalance requires structural interventions beyond mere encouragement and empowerment.
title Gender Imbalance in Physics Education and Employment in Germany: Trends and Challenges
topic Physics and Society
Physics Education
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.19021