Women are disappearing from Polish science. Cultural barriers, stereotypes and “glass ceiling”

Women in Polish science are still less likely to be promoted, manage projects and win grants, even though – as it has been proven – mixed teams create the best research. The main limitations are cultural barriers, parental burdens and stereotypes – according to the report “The Reward Effect: Visibility as a Cure for Disappearance”.

The report was prepared by prof. Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka and dr hab. Magdalena Żadkowska as part of the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women and Science program. He identified a group of key reasons that make it difficult for women to develop a scientific career: cultural modesty, which discourages self-promotion and entering competitions, lower self-esteem shaped by social patterns, parental burdens and the so-called maternal barrier, patronizing treatment, including paternalism and mansplaining, or unequal division of teaching and administrative tasks, limiting time for research.

The document was based on three elements: analyzes of research on equality in science, interviews with scientists at various stages of their careers and conversations with experts involved in the evaluation and reform of science.

As the authors emphasized, despite structural changes, the gender gap in Poland still persists at almost all stages of a scientific career. Although women today constitute 48.4 percent. academic staff, their representation drops dramatically with each successive level of promotion. Among professors, there are only 28 percent of them.

European data confirm this trend. According to the EC report “She Figures” from 2024. women constitute approximately one third of the world's scientific community, and the higher the career level, the smaller their share. Differences also concern access to research financing, salary levels and the distribution of prestigious functions and distinctions.

This means that women remain invisible in areas that determine prestige in science. – So in the group of people we call outstanding, perfect, brilliant, there are clearly fewer of them. What's more, there are studies showing that the word “genius” is more often attributed to men – said prof. Kosakowska-Berezecka. She recalled that even in children's drawings, scientists are most often men, which clearly shows the power of cultural associations established from an early age.

Barriers that overlap

According to the authors, the phenomenon of women disappearing from science is a multi-stage process resulting from overlapping systemic, cultural and family barriers. Systemic attrition is related to employment instability, non-research workload, and mobility restrictions. Cultural – from teaching women to be modest and not to stick out. Caring – due to the burden of family responsibilities.

As Dr. Żadkowska explained, women disappear because they take on tasks that no one else wants, because they are taught to sit in the corner and wait for their turn, and because they have to take care of their loved ones: children or elderly parents.

The specificity of assessing the achievements of scientists, based on the requirement of constant activity, also remains an important problem. It places a much greater burden on women, who more often than men have to combine careers with household responsibilities.

“This Is Not Your Place”

The researchers also pointed out that in education and universities, women are more often than men accompanied by the message “this is not your place.” Many women scientists receive signals from the beginning of their careers that question their belonging: from a lack of inclusive language to embarrassing situations.

Dr. Żadkowska compared it to men who start pursuing a prestigious profession, being the first people in their family to choose this path. Then they think about colleagues with multi-generational experience, that it is easier for them, that they have already blazed trails. In women, this feeling results from centuries-old disproportions, structural barriers and the glass ceiling phenomenon.

– Researchers even in very high positions admitted this to us – sometimes they are paralyzed by the fear of being exposed, that it is not their place. Despite such outstanding achievements, great education and successes – said Dr. Żadkowska.

– Even as speakers at conferences, female scientists are sometimes mistaken for event staff and asked for coffee. This strongly perpetuates the feeling of invisibility, she added.

Some of the researchers interviewed by the authors admitted that during interviews about scholarships and positions, they were asked about their motherhood plans. The scale of such experiences is also confirmed by other studies. In the “Women in Surgery” report (2023), as many as 36 percent female researchers declared that they had experienced professional discrimination, while among men this percentage was 9%.

Dr. Kosakowska-Berezecka and Dr. Żadkowska also noticed clear inequalities between the sexes in the number of publications and patents. According to European Research Area data from 2024, only 16 percent publishing teams can be considered gender balanced, while 31 percent is dominated by men. In the area of ​​patents, the situation is even worse – women constitute 9%. people submitting inventions.

Grant data also reflects a male advantage. Their success rate is 32%, compared to 28%. in women. A meta-analysis including 21 studies showed that men were on average 7 percent they are more likely to obtain financing for their projects.

Disparities in rewards

Clear disproportions are also visible in access to prestigious scientific awards, both in Poland and around the world. In the fields of chemistry, physics and medicine, 28 Nobel Prizes have been awarded to women and 635 men so far. In Poland, the so-called The “Polish Nobel Prize” went to 111 men and only 10 women. As additional analyzes have shown, women are more often awarded for organizational activities and service to the institution, while awards for scientific achievements more often go to men.

Against this background, the L'Oréal-UNESCO Women and Science program has been assessed by experts as one of the most effective tools to combat the invisibility of women in science. According to the scholarship recipients, receiving the award significantly increased their recognition, strengthened their sense of professional security and facilitated access to various professional opportunities.

The authors of the report emphasized the need to build a culture of equality in scientific institutions. They indicated that effective diversity management and an inclusive work environment translate into a higher level of innovation and better research results. Universities that implement Gender Equality Plans gain an advantage in grant competitions and rankings, which is confirmed by the results of The Times Higher Education Impact Rankings from 2023 and 2024, where high marks were awarded to, among others, University of Gdańsk.

The whole thing also requires men to get involved

As they said, supporting equality cannot be just a women's fight. It requires the involvement of men and, above all, systemic changes. It is necessary to introduce transparent procedures for responding to discrimination, develop mentoring, increase the presence of women in public debate and strengthen their role as ambassadors of science. The report also points to the need to support men in fulfilling family roles, which can relieve women and reduce the impact of cultural barriers on their careers.

– Real change towards equality in science requires moving away from the narrative of “fixing women” and focusing attention on the institutions that shape their careers (…) Instead of expecting women to adapt to existing structures, we need to fix the structures themselves – introducing long-term, systemic solutions that support equality and inclusion. Science seems to have a gender and we need to change science systems to fully reduce the impact of stereotypes on the functioning of women and men in science, concluded the researchers.

The report can be found on this website: https://www.lorealdlakobietinauki.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Raport_25-lat_Efekt-nagrody.pdf

Katarzyna Czechowicz (PAP)

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