More female professors, but advance appears to stall

By now one in three professors is a woman, except at the technical universities of Delft, Eindhoven and Twente. But the rise of women seems to be stalling among assistant and associate professors.

In 2000 there were only 136 female professors in the Netherlands, spread across fourteen universities: fewer than ten per institution. They are now more than a thousand. The number of male professors rose less sharply over the past 25 years: from about 1,950 to just over 2,200.

Universities therefore now have, both in absolute numbers and proportionally, more female professors. In Wageningen and Rotterdam, which had lagged behind somewhat, more than 30 percent of professors are women for the first time, according to new figures from the universities association UNL. Maastricht is approaching 40 percent. The Open University, specialised in distance learning, has been above that level for years.

The TU Delft is the only one with less than 20 percent female professors. At the technical universities of Twente and Eindhoven the share is also relatively low: 24 and 27 percent.

Slower increase in lower ranks

Becoming a professor is not straightforward. You first become an assistant professor and then an associate professor. So enough women need to reach those ranks in order to be able to hold chairs later.

Among professors the share of women rose by 1.5 percentage points in 2025, but among assistant and associate professors the increase was smaller: 0.4 percentage point. It has not been this low in years.

Cuts

This stagnation is probably related to budget cuts and the shrinking number of students. In previous years universities grew year on year, creating career opportunities for new talent, including women. But the number of professors and associate professors is now almost the same as a year ago, and the number of assistant professors has even fallen by 336: from just over 7,200 to fewer than 6,900. That leaves little room for new appointments.

In addition, the universities association UNL says that 48 percent of assistant professors are now women, and the number among associate professors is also rising. That could explain the slowing growth.

UNL offers another possible explanation. Professors who go into emeritus status (that’s the term for their retirement) are usually men. The women who replace them come from the group of associate professors. Female associate professors are joining, but some leave again to become professors.