Behind the scenes of science. Gender in the recruitment and selection of professors in the Netherlands

This presentation will discuss the findings of a research on gender practices in recruitment and selection of full professors in the Netherlands. I will unmask some persistent myths related to recruitment and selection which are often used to explain away the under-representation of women in senior academic positions in the Netherlands. These myths are unmasked by revealing the various gender practices tied in with professorial recruitment and selection, such as gatekeeping, male networks and the construction of scientific excellence. This presentation challenges the view of an academic world where the allocation of rewards and resources is governed by the normative principles of transparency and meritocracy, and highlights the distance between the ideal ethos of science and the actuality of social interaction in daily working situations