Gender imbalance grows at Cambridge

The number of women in academic posts at Cambridge University has fallen in all categories in spite of initiatives to address gender imbalance.

The proportion of female professors fell from 6.4 per cent of the total in 1998 to just 5.5 per cent in 1999 - a lower proportion than a decade ago. Cambridge now has three fewer female professors than last year - just 15 compared with 259 male professors.

The proportion of women also fell among assistant lecturers and senior research assistants and research directors. The number of female readers fell by one and lecturers fell by three but they made up a greater proportion of the total. Women make up 16.7 per cent of all academic grades.