The article "'Deplorable' pay inequity persists" (September 30) highlights that female academics are paid less than males. Other research has shown that they also have less academic success.
An analysis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that women's lesser achievements are due to discriminatory factors. The MIT report found reputations are constructed and cumulate from slight advantages that favour men, and slight inequities that disadvantage women.
For example, women had less space and were excluded from group grants, from PhD thesis committees of the students of male colleagues and from important decision-making roles in their departments.
Anyone interested in this issue should read the report at: http:///web.mit.edu/faculty/reports/overview.html
Nader Tavassoli
Associate professor
London Business School