{"id":177832,"date":"2025-04-16T14:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=177832"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:46","slug":"the-young-academy-first-generation-academics-often-run-into-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/04\/16\/the-young-academy-first-generation-academics-often-run-into-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"The Young Academy: ‘First-generation academics often run into problems’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students are less likely to pursue a career in academia if their parents didn\u2019t go to university. And those who do often run into problems, according to a report by The Young Academy.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBart Huijser<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

There\u2019s an increasing focus on equity in the scientific community, especially in terms of gender, ethnicity and cultural background. But while the obstacles faced by first-generation students \u2013 those whose parents didn\u2019t go to university \u2013 are frequently highlighted, there\u2019s still a blind spot when it comes to first-generation academics, says The Young Academy.<\/p>\n

In the report, titled First but not least<\/a>, fifteen of these researchers are featured. They include lecturers and professors from twelve different institutions.<\/p>\n

Imposters<\/h2>

The first-generation researchers say they often feel insecure. They see themselves as imposters: despite their achievements, they don\u2019t think they actually belong in academia.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, some of them also feel alienated from the world they grew up in. One interviewee described moving between these two worlds as \u201cstanding on two ice floes threatening to drift apart\u201d.<\/p>\n

Discrimination<\/h2>

The low likelihood of finding a permanent position is also deterring first-generation students from choosing a career in academia. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t recommend it to my own child\u201d, said one of the respondents.<\/p>\n

Some interviewees experienced discrimination \u2013 they received nasty comments about their background and people were quick to doubt their talents. For many of them, this started as early as primary school, when their abilities were underestimated.<\/p>\n

Driven<\/h2>

But the respondents also see their background as a strength. \u201cMaybe first-generation researchers are at an advantage in terms of perseverance\u201d, one of them said. \u201cWhen you\u2019ve always had to do everything under your own steam, you\u2019re used to just going for it and doing things yourself.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t want to play the victim\u201d, another said, \u201cbecause I think I also draw strength from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several of them also received valuable support from a mentor who helped them navigate the unfamiliar \u2013 and sometimes unfriendly \u2013 world of academia. The Young Academy believes that a good mentoring programme could also help others.<\/p>\n

Planting seeds<\/h2>

There are no easy solutions, but The Young Academy has other suggestions for improvement. For example, it wants the unwritten rules of academia to be made explicit, as first-generation academics are often less familiar with these codes.<\/p>\n

It also argues that recruitment efforts for committees and boards should \u201cnot only consider gender and migration background, but also less visible forms of diversity, including first-generation status\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\t\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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