Advancing against the Odds: Career Trajectories of Women Full Professors in Italian Political Science

Abstract

Despite the growing feminization of the academic profession, gender disparities at the highest echelons remain a pressing global challenge. Italian academia is no exception: entrenched patterns of vertical gendered segregation have been further exacerbated by cycles of reform and austerity, which have curtailed opportunities for full professorships and intensified competition for these posts. Building on previous research that identifies political science as a discipline that is particularly resistant to gendered transformation, this article offers the first systematic examination of the career trajectories and lived experiences of female full professors in the field. It draws on an original dataset documenting the biographical and professional profiles of Italian political scientists from 1971 to 2023, combined with 21 semi-structured interviews with women who have reached the discipline's highest rank. The findings reveal that women attaining this level follow career paths that are largely indistinguishable from those of their male counterparts, underscoring the dominance of a singular career model within the discipline. Yet the qualitative evidence exposes the persistence of gender-specific obstacles and entrenched professional practices that compel women to invest substantially more effort in securing and sustaining senior positions.