Keywords
Scissors Effect
Gender Equality
Parent in Science
Higher Education Policies
How to Cite
Abstract
This study examines gender disparities within academia, focusing on the School of Health and Life Sciences at the Catholic University of Pernambuco (UNICAP) in Northeast Brazil. Globally and nationally, women face institutional barriers that impede career progression, commonly referred to as the "scissors effect," where female representation decreases at higher professional ranks despite comparable productivity. This project diagnostics the institutional framework through mixed-method analysis, utilizing Lattes Platform data (2019–2022) for 170 faculty members and semi-structured interviews with students, staff, and professors. Quantitative results reveal that women constitute the majority of the faculty (108 females vs. 62 males) and maintain higher overall teaching workloads and average scientific productivity (53.7%) compared to men (46.3%). Furthermore, female representation strongly correlated with successful student mentorship across all levels. However, qualitative thematic content analysis highlights persistent structural obstacles. Interviewees identified motherhood as the primary barrier (29.63%), with 75% of mothers reporting long-term career impacts due to professional and domestic reconciliation difficulties. Additionally, 45.45% of participants reported experiencing gender bias or harassment, often managed with passive compliance due to fear of reputational damage. The normalized nature of everyday gender discrimination was also noted by 54.55% of respondents. Despite the institutional dominance of women in numbers, they remain underrepresented in senior leadership positions. To address these intersectional disparities, this paper proposes institutional policy changes, including mandatory gender parity quotas for leadership roles, the creation of a specialized women’s gender committee, targeted extension projects for public school students, and comprehensive structural support for maternity.
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